How to keep your family safe online

How to keep your family safe online using your ISP

There are many ISPs to choose from, and they all have information on their websites about privacy settings and parental control. It’s important to check out exactly what you’re getting before you pick one.

Here are some things you should know about you home, school or office ISP:

• What is their Internet policy? They should have one.
• Do they provide any Internet Safety Service?
• Do they provide access to filtering software?
• Do they have "safe" website access?

You can contact your ISP for more information about internet safety, parental controls or questions about settings. If your existing ISP doesn’t offer sufficient safety options to meet your needs, you should consider switching to one that does.

Anti-virus and family protection software

The Censorship Compliance Unit promotes the use of anti-virus and family protection software on any family computer.

These systems enable you to protect your financial information when purchasing products via the Internet and also protect your family from the activity of other users or websites.

• McAfee Total Protection
  Helps to detect and block the latest virus, malware, spyware and ransomware attacks while staying on top of your privacy and identity. It is also an easy, complete way to keep children safe online. Designed to empower parents to say “yes” to their children’s online interests. The software is designed to counter a number of Internet threats, including access to inappropriate content, cyberbullying, posting of personal information, exposure to strangers, and more.

• Norton Family
  Designed to keep kids safe when they go online. Rather than simply blocking sites, it encourages communication between parents and their children, providing parents with a better understanding of what their kids do online, so they can better protect and guide them and teach them good Internet habits.

• Norton 360
  Adds an additional layer of protection to detect viruses, Trojans, spyware, and other threats. Norton scrutinises different attributes of files and applications in real-time to determine if they are safe, warns of dangerous downloads, and proactively analyses newly downloaded files and applications for threats before you install or run them on your PC.

Services available from your local service providers

• Telecom Security Suite
  Telecom provides free home computer protection from online viruses, spyware and hackers for its Broadband and Dial-Up customers. The software package is usually $8.13 a month (over $95 a year). Broadband customers receive subscription with upgrades free of charge with Telecom Security Suite.

• Vodafone Security - PC Protection (powered by F-Secure)
  Vodafone PC Protection, powered by F-Secure, is an all-in-one security software that protects your data and privacy when people email, download music, bank, shop or play online. Automatic updates and advanced cloud computing technology using F-Secure DeepGuard also ensure the fastest protection against any future threats. PC Protection for home broadband is $5 per month for a 1 user licence. Or a 3-user licence for $10 per month. The first 3 months free or PC Protection free on any Ultimate Home Fibre 12-month plan.

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