Solution: SpectorSoft eBlaster sends out a detailed report
to the parent on regular intervals via email. This report
includes Chat/Instant Messages, Online Searches, Web
Sites Visited, Email Activity, Files Transferred, Keystrokes
Typed, Program Activity, User Activity, Keywords
Detected, Document Tracking and MySpace activity. If the
child does something they shouldn’t be doing the parent
will find out when they receive the next report. For
immediate notification, keyword alerts are available which
are sent out via email when the keyword is detected.
Problem: Child misrepresents themself on the Internet by
misstating their age on several Social Networking sites.
Solution: Both Spector Pro and eBlaster will alert the
parent of inappropriate use of the computer. eBlaster
achieves this by emailing an Activity Report and Spector
Pro achieves this via a Viewer which segregates all
recorded events including the replay of screen snapshots
that are captured on a regular interval.
Problem: A Child Predator attempts to contact a child by
claiming they are the same age as the child. After
establishing a relationship online the predator requests a
meeting at a nearby park after school.
Solution: Parent doesn’t recognize the individual as a
friend and thwarts the meeting by intervening.
Problem: A child uses inappropriate language when
chatting or emailing with peers. At other times the child
types in their street address, school name or credit card
number into email, chat and website forms.
Solution: With Spector Pro and eBlaster, specific
keywords and phrases can generate email alerts to the
parent nearly instantaneously. In addition, the detection of
this keyword can trigger a screen snapshot to be taken that
can also be emailed to the parent using eBlaster. In Spector
Pro the interval of screen snapshot recording can be
increased after a keyword is detected.
What Technology Solves and What it Does Not
Spector Pro, eBlaster and Spector for Mac OS empower a
parent to keep tabs on their children to ensure a safe and
positive online experience. A parent can establish a
schedule for when Internet access is allowed or they can
block certain application protocols such as Chat/IM
programs like AIM or MSN Messenger. In addition the
parent can create a white-list or black-list of websites to
establish a basic web filtering policy. In addition, specific
chat IDs can be blocked preventing those individuals from
communicating with the child.
These products are primarily computer monitoring tools
and do not offer content protection or parental controls
outside of what is described above.
Strengths-Weaknesses Analysis
Spector Pro and eBlaster records everything a child does on
their computer, down to lone keystrokes and single mouse
clicks. The software segregates these keystrokes into
categorized events and displays them either graphically
with an intuitive viewer or activity report. The screen
snapshot functionality in Spector Pro is unsurpassed in the
industry offering the granularity to record up to once every
second. Screen snapshots can also be taken when specific
events occur such as detection of a specific keystroke
pattern, keyword alerts or one of many other events. The
software can monitor multiple users of the computer each
with their own policies and monitoring rules.
These products do not offer category based web-filtering or
device blocking, however these features are under
consideration for future versions of the software.
Implementation Requirements
It is a requirement that SpectorSoft products are only
installed on computers that are owned by the purchaser.
The software installation for both Windows and Mac OS
based computers utilizes intuitive installation wizards to
guide the user through the process. No specialized skills or
insight is required to install or use these products however
it is advisable that the parent review the documentation
provided to properly configure the software to suit their
specific monitoring needs. For example, setting up the
monitoring of a 10 year old is typically different than
monitoring a teenager. Technical Support is also available
24 hours a day, 7 days a week to assist parents with
installation and setup.
Technical Standards
SpectorSoft products are developed to meet stringent
Object Oriented Development and Object Oriented
Programming practices and adhere to Microsoft Graphical
User Interface design standards where applicable.
Reliance and Use of Law and Policy for Success
SpectorSoft products must only be deployed on computers
and networks owned by the purchaser. SpectorSoft
reserves the right to disable the license of the product if this
condition is violated. In some countries where monitoring
is permitted with exceptions, SpectorSoft products allow
the user configure the granularity of the recording … for
example, to only record documents sent to a printer or USB
device, but nothing else.
Viability of the Technology in Both the US and
International Context
When it comes to monitoring children and ensuring their
safety on the Internet, no responsible parent is going to
look the other way no matter where they live. As a result,
the popularity of Spector Pro and eBlaster and Spector for
Mac OS is therefore very strong internationally. Spector
Pro has been translated to Japanese and German and the
English versions of all SpectorSoft products are sold
worldwide.
