Let’s face it, your kids are going to be smarter than you when it comes to using technology and the web. They use it more often, their friends know more about it than your friends do and they have plenty of free time to learn more.
But you are right to be worried and do what you can to keep them safe.
There’s lots of software out there that can filter out web addresses, and many of them are bundled into security suites that you might already have loaded on your computer. OT and ICS cybersecurity is given a lot more importance these days as everything is digitized.
But filtering software that blocks specific site addresses is not enough.
Web Proxies
Web proxies allow you to bypass your own Internet provider and browse through the proxy web site. All that you have to do is find a web proxy site (easily found through a web search), type the web site address you would like to visit in the form they provide, and start browsing. Once you keep browsing using that form, you are protected and your real IP address is not being logged and your filtering software in unaware that this is happening.
Take Charge — the Better Alternative to Blocking
As you can see, there are a lot of workarounds if you decide to block sites with a filter to avoid retrohunting. Like the Hydra in Greek mythology, each time you cut a head off two more grow in its place. You will never ever get ahead of the curve if you try to put together a list of sites to block. It’s just not possible.
So work the problem from the opposite end. Decide what sites are acceptable and only allow those sites to be accessed. This type of list, called a “white list” (I know, I know — I didn’t make up the name), is much more manageable and can be added to as needed.
You may already have the ability to set up a whitelist in your security software. If not, here are recommended software you can try for 15 or 30 days free: