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Idea #11913: Parental Controls

Written by DanRabbit the 6 Aug 08 at 20:30. Related project: Gnome. Status: New
Rationale
Right now, we can lockdown a few things here and there. But we don't have anywhere near something as simple and effective as OS X's parental controls.

In fact, if I was a novice with Ubuntu I would have no idea to look under users and groups to lock down an account. And, who is actually going to read all the information crammed into the sidebar of Authorizations?

There is an application called Pessulus, also known as the lockdown editor, that is a step in the right direction. But right now, there is no solidly easy way to administer a system in the same incredibly easy way as OS X.

Firstly, I propose we include an application like Pessulus by defualt. Secondly, I propose that we strive to enable it to manage the following:

+Blacklists and Whitelists for the Web(Firefox), E-mail(Evolution), and Chat(Pidgin).
+Disabling any individual applications completely.
+Easy Time limits such as: 2 hours, anytime from 10am to 10pm, Monday-Friday, etc.

Another possible function is to have controls in place during certain times of day. In the home, this can correlate to the presence of the parent. And, in a corporate setting, this can correlate to employee lunches.

This not only would benefit those with innocent eyes in our homes, but it could also be applied in a commercial setting!

41
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Solution #1: Auto-generated solution of idea #11913
Written by DanRabbit the 6 Aug 08 at 20:30.
Ubuntu Brainstorm was updated in January 2009. Since the idea #11913 was submitted before this update, its rationale and solution are not separated. Please vote accordingly, and if you have the necessary rights, please separate the rationale from the solution. Thanks!

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Comments
Eldmannen wrote on the 6 Aug 08 at 23:32
Yeah, if I was a parent, I would block access to MySpace, that place is disastrous to the intellect of teens.

It could also have support for ICRA labels and RSACi labels.

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Content_Rating_Association

Eldmannen wrote on the 6 Aug 08 at 23:33
And support for PICS.
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platform_for_Internet_Content_Selection

Auzy wrote on the 6 Aug 08 at 23:56
This is a dupe.

But either way, the infrastructure implemented for parental controls can also be used for other purposes too. So implementation of parental controls, also adds other new functionality.

frup wrote on the 7 Aug 08 at 01:12
I fully support anything that stops retarded teenagers using Myspace.

On a more serious note, this could be useful in enterprise situations for quickly controlling employee privilages. What ever is done should be able to be linked to cron jobs or other scripts/commands so that certain websites could be blocked while working and allowed on breaks etc.

andruk (Idea reviewer) wrote on the 7 Aug 08 at 07:26
I don't expect this to gain many votes, even though I'm voting for it. I don't think this should be installed by default, though.

Auzy wrote on the 7 Aug 08 at 08:30
It would need to be integrated into the programs as a framework though andruk, to take full effect.

frup wrote on the 7 Aug 08 at 09:46
Having parental monitoring apps is a great way to make sure governments (and sadly powerful corporations) can't justify regulating the internet

Making people take responsibility for themselves and their dependants will help ensure moral reasons for net neutrality.

glotz wrote on the 7 Aug 08 at 12:14
I personally think that parental controls are only good for parents who really don't care. Always marketed as the magic bullet to save those sweet little kiddies from the horrible world of the internet predators...

The thing is, "life finds a way". Believe me.

It's funny how the society polices us like crazy when we want to buy a gun... or even drive a motor vehicle but nobody cares if you buy how ever powerful computer hardware and hook up to the internet. I think a computer is a weapon far more dangerous than your car for example. But I guess most people can't seem to grasp for example that spam kills people every day. It's a question of wasted resources.

Eldmannen wrote on the 7 Aug 08 at 17:08
It can also be used at workplaces to prevent employees from wasting time doing doing private matters.
Also could be used in schools, to prevent kids playing flash games, etc.

glotz,
Spam kills people every day? I had no idea.

darius.regnier wrote on the 7 Aug 08 at 18:13
+1. I imagine it being something like Vista's (sorry) Parental Control program, which lets you set time limits, control access to programs, view web pages visited, applications launched (for how long and when), etc.

oodlesofmoddles wrote on the 7 Aug 08 at 18:16
I have a desktop comp (built it myself!) and I live at boarding school.

It would be nice if I could control what apps were enabled on that account.

Endolith wrote on the 8 Aug 08 at 20:42
"Guns don't kill people, spam kills people"? :)

Timothy Suhr wrote on the 16 Sep 08 at 20:04
I would look at copdad functionality as a starting point. http://www.virtualsoftwareltd.com/products/index.htm

inizul wrote on the 19 Sep 08 at 21:26
You can see =>


Timekpr - Keep control of computer usage

This program will track and control the computer usage of your kids. You can limit their daily usage and configure periods when they cannot log in.

https://launchpad.net/timekpr

crjackson wrote on the 27 Sep 08 at 20:58
If you are interested in the Timekpr project I started, you can go to this site and download the deb. Please read the instructions.

http://buck-nasty.blogspot.com/2008/09/timekeepr-keep-control-of-your-computer. html

By the way. It works great. Give it a spin.


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