Looking for software to monitor computer activity

PeterDragon · 10-28-2002, 06:04 PM

Someone I work with is concerned about some of the online activities of his kid. Unfortunately, kids today know to much :-o and so he seems to be using a wipe to get rid of history. the father tried to log his keystrokes, but still not sure what is going on.

Does anyone know of any software which would take screen snapshots, or something like it, so that he could see what his kid was up to?

TIA

Goatweed · 10-28-2002, 06:14 PM

I don't know about screencaps, but I know there is keystroke logging software available - from actual software to a device that gets placed inbetween the keyboard and the computer (like an adapter). This kind of stuff is used by corporations though, but I guess a home user can use them also.

Even if his kid uses a wipe (I use the paranoia tab in TweakUI to erase all my history, etc. files at logoff at work) the keystroke logger should work - I think it saves each stroke to a logfile, so the wipe shouldn't remove that.

ClusterF@#$ · 10-28-2002, 06:23 PM

i just checked on hotfiles and did a search on supervise. Looked like there were a few that might fit what he's looking for. Granted the programs I did see didn't have very many downloads... but it looked like a few could monitor screens and stuff from remote computers, and run undetected in the background. Maybe I'll try a few tonight, and see what my housemates are up to upstairs!!!!

There's always netnanny and those kinds of things that prevent kids from going to cerain sites in the 1st place.... but it sounds like he wants to catch the kid redhanded.

Edit.... I searched again using keyword 'parental' and looks like there are more promising hits... better reviews, more downloads... etc.

Good luck. I'll play with a few if i have a chance tonight on my own network.

Edited By ClusterF@#$ on 1035829882

Galt · 10-28-2002, 06:46 PM

How about you tell the guy to trust his kids and not be a nazi trying to ruin their fun. That's probably why the hate him so much and do things just to piss him off.

ClusterF@#$ · 10-28-2002, 07:03 PM

Or that too!!

HollywoodJewMoses · 10-28-2002, 07:06 PM

Quote:How about you tell the guy to trust his kids and not be a nazi trying to ruin their fun. That's probably why the hate him so much and do things just to piss him off.

what he said

ClusterF@#$ · 10-28-2002, 07:07 PM

Your friend's name wouldn't have to be whackBagDad would it?

Edited By ClusterF@#$ on 1035832041

HollywoodJewMoses · 10-28-2002, 07:08 PM

yeah,my dad is so anti pornography

PeterDragon · 10-29-2002, 08:30 PM

Quote:Your friend's name wouldn't have to be whackBagDad would it?

If only !!.

seriously, his 12 yr old son is communicating with a 20 something girl. While this seems wonderful, he is concerned that his son might get into something that will cause trouble or worse.

as for the keystrokes software, he already used that, but you only see one side of conversations, and he doesn't want to over-react unless he KNOWS something is wrong.

Personally, I have a teen daughter - oops - I mean THEORETICALLY IF I HAD A TEEN DAUGHTER - and I feel I have to trust her - after all I know how easy it was to fool my parents, so all I can count on is trust and honesty.

Thanks for the help guys. :thumbs-up:

Edited By PeterDragon on 1035923558

Hybrid · 10-29-2002, 08:31 PM

Quote:yeah,my dad is so anti pornography

:lol:

HollywoodJewMoses · 10-29-2002, 09:45 PM

Quote:seriously, his 12 yr old son is communicating with a 20 something <s>girl</s>.

its definitely a guy

Keyser Soze · 10-29-2002, 09:49 PM

poor kid, his father should mind his own business

HollywoodJewMoses · 10-29-2002, 09:52 PM

i usually would agree with you, BUT, its not like the kid is talking to a girl his own age, or a little bit older

but no twenty something girl, would ever have anything to do with a 12 year old boy, no matter how much she loves the cock.

there is definitely something weird going on here

Keyser Soze · 10-29-2002, 09:54 PM

i was a much smarter 12 year old that he was, i say survivial of the fittest. if this kid is too stupid to protect himself its his own fault. i hate parents who are all up in their kid's shit like that.

HollywoodJewMoses · 10-29-2002, 09:56 PM

he is 12, if some 20 year old "girl" is offering him pussy, he is going to believe its true, because he wants to believe its true.

Keyser Soze · 10-29-2002, 09:57 PM

yeah but he shouldnt be stupid enough to allow that to put him in an unsafe position. if he is, thats a hard lesson learned. again, survival of the fittest i say.

HollywoodJewMoses · 10-29-2002, 10:00 PM

ok i agree, but he has a chance to prevent something from happening now.

PeterDragon · 10-30-2002, 02:57 AM

Quote:yeah but he shouldnt be stupid enough to allow that to put him in an unsafe position. if he is, thats a hard lesson learned. again, survival of the fittest i say

that may be, but then you should be able to understand why the father doesn't want him to have to go through that. Some lessons need to be learned; some can be avoided.

Even more so it is easy to say he should just let his kid learn a lesson, but more difficult if it was you or your kid.

I understand where you're coming from (as I said I don't monitor everything my daughter does - at some point you gotta trust their ability to do the right thing); I just don't agree. In this situation, Like WhackBagKid said, it don't sound right.

Keyser Soze · 10-30-2002, 07:27 PM

this is not the way to parent a child, you should not have them under suveilance. even if you prevent them from a bad situation you will lose their trust forever and they will resent you for it and act it out and damage themselves much more serverely than this ever could.

i would have a converstation with the kid to tell him to use common sense and try to teach him that common sense so he could make his own decisions rather than make them all for him.

Gooch · 10-30-2002, 07:42 PM

Common mistakes is to use software and monitoring children in place of parenting, teaching and talking.