BitDefender Internet Security 2008 test

The parental control that is compatible with IE&, but unfortunately not with Firefox!
Here is an extension that is essentially for parents concerned about what sites their children can visit. Making a parental control easy to use means that no one now has any excuses! Firstly the adult that “administers” the PC has to create an account with a password that allows them, and only them, to change the children’s or teenagers settings. The program is subdivided into four tabs.

The first tab activates or disables the chosen services and allows them to define the three internet filters. These are easy to remember. The adult has full access to the internet; while the teenager will be blocked from sexual and violent content (some games will be impacted). The child profile is for those under 14, and it is very restrictive, as it blocks the same content as for the teenagers as well as sites that talk about drugs.

The second tab “web” controls the sites that are authorized or not in detail. To be more effective, you will need to check the “User the blocked list provided by BitDefender” and don’t hesitate in adding your own URL’s.

The third tab, “Applications” shouldn’t be taken lightly. It allows you to exclude programs (violent games, instant messaging, emails, for example). Everything is simple to use, as you simply need to select the location of the corresponding exe file.

The fourth tab concerns the “keywords”. Here you will have to take the time to input as many terms you can think of. Next, you will have to define the protocols that you want to control (HTTP browsing, incoming mail on POP3 or the two).

Finally, the “Hours” tab has been well thought out. This allows you to define the days and times that surfing the internet is allowed (Saturday morning, everything is allowed!)

With Internet Explorer 7, the BitDefender Parental control module is operational and very effective, as “sex”, “drugs” etc are well filtered, leaving only “rock ‘n roll” to the youngsters!
You should be aware though that the keywords web filters didnt work with Mozilla Firefox during our tests! The people at BitDefender have assured us though that this was due to our setup and that everything should be ok.

Controlling the private life… it’s up to you!
For all of us, your private life is extremely important in how you go about your day. All information that circulates with our personal information is far from being just virtual and must be controlled at all costs. Is the Private Life module up to our expectations?

For it to be a chance, you will need to configure it so that it knows about your sensitive information. After having activated it, you will need to go to the advanced settings under the “Private life controls”.  Here you will need to add, case by case, the details of your address, name, telephone, password, email address etc. The more concerned can even state their bank, confidential code, social security number… Web pages which ask to memorize this information won’t be displayed. This is a useful function but one which could disrupt access to a number of online forums and certain shopping sites.