Protecting Your Children

Netscape Communicator 4.5 and higher have a filtering component built in called Netwatch

Note: Communicator 4.06 - 4.08 and Communicator 4.5 contain NetWatch; other versions do not.

NetWatch allows you to select the types of sites that can be viewed on your computer and filters out those that you do not want. The settings that control this are protected by a password chosen by you so that nobody else can change them. These settings can not be seen by any web site that you visit.

Netwatch uses two independent PICS (Platform for Internet Content Selection)-compliant ratings systems called RSACi and SafeSurf. Each of these uses a different method to describe the levels of potentially offensive content, and you can choose to use one or both of these ratings systems in NetWatch. Web publishers voluntarily rate their pages for these systems.

To Use Netwatch:

• 1. Go to the Navigator Help menu and select Netwatch.
• 2. Near the top of this page, click "Click to set up Netwatch".
• 3.Under the First Time User section, click New User.                  
• 4.Choose the settings that are acceptable to you. Choose the system you think is best for yourself-- either the RSACi Rating System, the SafeSurf Rating System, or both.
• 5. Once you've decided on the ratings you would like to use, choose a NetWatch Password. Make sure that you choose a password that will be difficult for someone else to guess but easy for you to remember. If you forget your NetWatch password, no one can help you change your NetWatch settings, including Netscape.
• 6.Now that you've chosen the sites to filter and set the password for NetWatch, turn it on so that NetWatch can compare pages with the ratings that you chose. If a page is requested that has higher levels than what you set, Netwatch will not display it. You can also set NetWatch to block unrated pages.

Please note that the majority of pages are still unrated so blocking unrated sites may keep you from getting to many pages that contain no questionable content. However, this ensures that each page that is viewed has been rated and is acceptable for the levels at which you have set the software.  NetWatch requires that both Java and JavaScript are enabled in your browser. To check that these are enabled, go to the Edit menu, choose Preferences, and select Advanced. Check the box next to Enable Java and Enable JavaScript and then click OK.

@Home customers can also download Surfwatch.  Off the Members Services menu. I do believe its only free for 3 months then you have to start paying.

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