Net Nanny is a parental control software by ContentWatch Inc. It is primarily focused on filtering objectionable and offensive content from the internet. The program has preset monitoring functions, which you can customize to meet your family's unique needs, such as setting different criteria for each child according to their age and maturity. Net Nanny also blocks popups and cookies, Usenet, HTTPS sites, peer-to-peer (P2P) downloading networks, FTP, forums, emails, chats with predatory language, et

Ease of Use

How easy is it for you as a parent to install, configure and use the software?

User reviews praise Net Nanny 6.0's ease of use as one of its strong points. While it has a very intuitive and smooth interface for parents, it is hard for kids to circumvent. However, some people have experienced problems with the Net Nanny program. Since the software is very deeply rooted in the computer, it poses a potential risk to the operating system if anything goes wrong. Some reviews pointed to the possibility of Net Nanny locking the operating system in a cycle without a possibility to reset the settings or allowing internet access.

Customer Support

What can you expect from the software's customer support? What options are available for you and how much does it cost on top of license fees?

Telephone, freephone or email. There may be a charge for phone support.

Stealth Operation

Having your children find you monitoring them may be quite awkward. This means that the software you use should be undetectable. How does the software fair in this?

Net Nanny software is visible to the monitored user. The program tells the children that they are performing a violation, such as attempting to access a blocked website. If you want your monitoring and blocking to be invisible to the user, then this software is not suitable for your needs.

Recording user activity

What types of user activity can the software record? what can it report to you as a parent?

Unlike Spector Pro, Net Nanny does not record every single activity on the computer, but Net Nanny 6.0 now provides some new activity recording features. Apart from lists of websites visited or attempted, Net Nanny 6.0 provides detailed web activity logs - detailed interactive charts and graphs that show you when, how long and how often your children browse certain websites. There is also a new IM Recording feature that records all IMs (instant messages) and allows you to browse full text of all IM conversations from both sides. Net Nanny does not record emails, keystrokes or social network activity. It also lacks the ability to capture screen shots of activity.

Remote Management

The ability to monitor a computer from a location other than the monitored computer itself.
If the monitored computer is in your teenage child's room, you may find it more difficult to have physical access to their computer whenever you want to see what they're doing and why they spend so much time in their room. Remote management lets you use another computer to investigate their actions.

The new Net Nanny 6.0 provides remote management tools, which allow you manage internet safety policies from any internet connection. The new Net Nanny 6.0 sends you automatic e-mail, text message and/or mobile alerts on certain events and trigger conditions that you pre-define - such as IMs (instant messaging) or chats containing cyberbullying, offensive language, P2P (peer-to-peer) file downloads, requests to access blocked websites, time control overrides, etc. You can then login to Net Nanny's remote management console from any Internet enabled computer ï¿½ even from work. Moreover, with Net Nanny 6.0 you can access the features of the child's computer system configuration. You can, for instance, review requests to access certain blocked websites and accept or reject them immediately. Your changes will be synchronized almost instantly. With the remote management features you can monitor instant messaging from anywhere, and have full access to the same reports that you can view locally. You can also set the program to email you activity reports daily, weekly, or monthly, to any email address you chose.

Monitoring Older Children

How does the software monitor older children? How suitable is it for teenagers?

Net Nanny 6.0 provides more teenage-activity monitoring features than previous versions. It has a good alert system, but it lacks certain monitoring features that the Spector Pro has. Previous versions of the Net Nanny software were focused primarily on content blocking and filtering but offered very limited user activity monitoring. Hence, they were generally perceived as suitable for monitoring children under ten years old and not suitable for teens. The new Net Nanny 6.0 version, however, has more monitoring features than before, such as recording IMs (instant messages software) and chats which you can read in full. Another feature sends email or text message alerts to parents in the occurrence of certain events (such as cyberbullying, abusive language or predatory behavior on IMs, peer-to-peer file sharing, etc.). These new features make this program more suitable for monitoring teens and not just young children. Net Nanny 6.0 works with multiple users and allows you to set a separate profile for each family member, using different criteria according to their age or maturity. For example, you can choose whether they have access to specific websites, newsgroups, e-mail, or whether they can download files or use certain applications. Note however that the social-networking monitoring is still limited and there are less recording features than the Spector Pro. Additionally, Net Nanny does not have the screen snapshot recording feature the Spector Pro has.

Internet Filtering and Blocking

What capabilities does the software provide in terms of blocking or filtering Internet content so that your children are not exposed to it? This feature includes the P2P (peer to peer) networks used to exchange files between your children and other people on the Internet.

If you are mainly interested in internet filtering and content blocking, Net Nanny is a great choice, thanks to its comprehensive filtering mechanisms. Net Nanny blocks pornography, hate sites, questionable chat rooms and other Internet perils. It can be configured to block online game and gambling sites, or to allow installation and playing only computer games with parental ratings that you deem appropriate. Net Nanny offers a simple set-up assistant to help parents determine what online activities (websites, chat, gaming and social networks) are appropriate to the child based on their age. Net Nanny 6.0 is able to filter the content of secure websites and it also blocks attempts to get around filtering by blocking secure proxy and encrypted websites (these are websites used to hide browsing activity) Using secure proxy websites is the number one method used by tech-savvy teens to circumvent desktop filters. Net Nanny can block proxies, but it also has a second line of defense: It filters both secure and non-secure traffic. If the Proxy category isn't blocked or if your child manages to find an unblocked proxy, Net Nanny still does its job. Kids can't fool it by tweaking a Web address to use encryption.
Net Nanny lets parents to create lists of unacceptable or acceptable websites. The software integrates with search engines such as Google, Yahoo, etc, and ensures that the safe search feature is on. This means your children can't search on a search engine and even see links to blocked sites. This provides better protection against pornographic images, using the search engine's filtering capabilities to augment Net Nanny's. Net Nanny is able to block content in multiple languages to provide even more internet safety for your family. Net Nanny 6.0 also has an improved game management feature, which relies on the age-based ratings of the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). The new feature allows you to independently block games tagged with any of the categories identified by ESRB.
Net Nanny lets you view the list of websites that are being blocked, and you, as an administrator can unblock sites if you think that they should be made accessible. Net Nanny 6.0 blocks access to specific peer-to-peer downloading networks and applications. There is no filtering or monitoring of the peer-to-peer applications themselves, so you don't know what your children were trying to download if you allow P2P access.

IM Monitoring

There are many predators and bullies out there, and the instant messaging programs make it much easier for them to prey. How does the software deal with these IM programs and the chat activity performed through them?

Net Nanny 6.0 can block IM (instant messages) at the protocol level. It supports AIM/ICQ, Jabber/Google, MSN Messenger, MySpace IM and Yahoo, and also Tencent QQ which is popular in China. Net Nanny 6.0 offers two styles of monitoring IMs. One feature is the IM Recording feature, which records the entire IM conversation (on both sides), so you can view it later. The other feature is IM Monitoring, which reviews and analyses the content of the IMs and checks for potential online predatory behavior (such as attempts to make real-world contact), cyberbullying, or other inappropriate language using a dozen different categories. This feature records only those parts of the conversation that may indicate a problem. The program can handle the quirky spelling often used in IMs. You can use those features together or separately. When a potentially harmful IM conversation is detected, Net Nanny will send you an email or a text message alert.

Social Networks Monitoring

Social networks such as Facebook, Myspace and others are hugely popular with children, but they are also open for anyone wanting to harm them. What can the software do for you in the social networking sites?

Net Nanny 6.0 is limited in monitoring social networking. It can monitor the child's Facebook activity, but it depends on your child allowing you to do that through the website.. Basically, this software gives you access to any Facebook profile opened on the child's computer, and you can download profile information (such as friends lists, photo albums, personal descriptions etc.) regardless of where the child chooses to log in and update Facebook from. However, as mentioned, there's a catch. Your child needs to allow you to do that. When your children want to login to Facebook from the monitored computer, they get a warning that they must install the ContentWatch Facebook application. If they don't want you to check on their Facebook activity, they can simply chose to reject or uninstall the application and never login from the home computer.

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Spector Pro 6.0

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Average rating: 3 / 5 , based on 19 customer reviews
Feel factor: 1

Net Nanny Wiped Out Windows

(score 1/5)

Similar to another reviewer, I downloaded the trial version of Net Nanny over the internet. I don't think my spyware filter caused it (WebRoot) because it prompts for decisions. But whatever the cause, Windows was completely wiped out after installing Net Nanny. No start button, menus, or anything. Just the desktop. I could not use System Restore, even in safe mode and ended up doing a complete system recovery and reinstall of Windows. It took me 2 weeks to get all my programs reinstalled, updated, and running properly and about 2 solid days of web research to figure out how to get my printer software to load. I still cannot scan or fax with my Kodak AIO printer! My suggestion -don't risk it! I'll be very careful before I install another "hack proof" parental control application.

Posted on: 2010-05-21
By J. Windes
Helpful index: 100%

Slows down all browsing even on unfiltered accounts

(score 1/5)

I've had NetNanny for a while. On an two different older computer it slowed everything down. The time came to replace the family system and I got a faster system with windows 7, much faster. As soon as I install NetNanny, browsing degrades and then hangs on web page downloading and display for minutes at a time. Go to a top search engine and all is well - search for something like "netnanny" and things quickly slow down. Customer support said to reinstall the software. Did so. Then they said to reinstall the OS, a time consuming process when all applications are considered. I only installed NetNanny and OS updates for a retest and still slow. Customer support insists that reinstalling something should work. That's where they left it. All accounts except one are set to allow ALL access. Only one child account is filtered. Yet, it destroys the browsing experience of all users over time. Had to give out the NetNanny master password to other adult users to disable NetNanny when they use the computer. The child's account randomly block them from viewing or updating their own facebook profile!

Posted on: 2010-04-09
By Charles Heath
Helpful index: 0%

Web filtering is awful

(score 2/5)

The feature that has attracted me about this product was its remote administrative capabilities. It notifies the parent via email when the young user attempts to access an age inappropriate site. After four months of usage me and my eight year old son are really frustrated, however. NetNanny does an awful job with its web filtering. I realize that blocking the harmful sites is more art than science, but come on people - why mark scholastic"dotkom" or the kid's movie site cloudy with a chance of meatballs as adult-porn sites ? These are just a few examples. Net Nanny's web filtering is way inaccurate. Too many false alarms, too many unblocked sites. No way I am renewing my license.

Posted on: 2010-01-05
By bluecloud
Helpful index: 0%

Review after a year of use...

(score 4/5)

Now, if you're reading this review, you're one of 3 categories of people:

1. A Parent wanting to protect your child from internet smut/garbage.
2. A Parent wanting to regulate your children's internet usage by setting time limits.
3. Like Me - An adult who's wanting to protect yourself from internet smut/garbage or simply regulate time online.

So, here's what NetNanny will do for #1-2:

- You can filter all web content based upon language, images, etc.
- You can block specific sites (like Youtube).
- You can regulate computer games from being run at certain hours.
- You CAN disallow IM or E-mail by simply disallowing the site/program during certain hours, (it seems some reviewers are confused on this), though this will NOT FILTER your e-mail account or those of your children if they're getting "buy viagra here" e-mails.
- You can have it e-mail you immediately if there is attempts to get around the software, and see the log of where the culprit was (on the web) when the attempt was made.
- You can set time limits to the web.
- You can shut off basically all the web except specific sites (though this takes a little know how and I haven't tried it).

On the whole, you can maintain a fair amount of control with your kids and NetNanny. I'm not sure if there are better products for sale that will do this all, but when I was shopping a year ago, NetNanny was definitely at the top of the game.

So, here's what NetNanny will do for #3:

I'm a pastor, and I want to protect myself from web-smut and other trash. I don't go out searching for it, but it's around enough and far too easily. My wife is jealous for my eyes, and I covet them for her. In my books, NetNanny is a definite necessity if you're in any sort of ministry. It logs your web-traffic, you can send your web-history to any elders or whoever is keeping you accountable (and your spouse, of course), and it will be a stop-gap when temptation comes your way and you buckle for that 1/4 second it takes to click something you shouldn't.

NetNanny won't remove sin from the heart, or change your desire to sin if you're actually WANT to, but it will help guard you from unneccesary temptations and for this, it's invaluable!

It's not perfect (since it often filters on language, it may filter out things you want to get too that have 'flagged' words), but that's a small price to pay for some insurance of integrity and purity.

I definitely recommend it...it's a LOT better than some of the free software by "Covenant Eyes" or "XXXChurch" or even Focus on the Family.

In fact, if you're in ministry and don't have a filtered and recorded computer, you need to change that right now.

Don't be an fool.

"1 I have made a covenant with my eyes;
how then could I gaze at a virgin?
2 What would be my portion from God above
and my heritage from the Almighty on high?
3 Is not calamity for the unrighteous,
and disaster for the workers of iniquity?" - Job 31:1-3

If verse 1 doesn't describe you, then verse 3 will.

*********************************************************************
Update after over 2 years of use.

Net Nanny is great, and I'm now using version 6.5.2.25.

One new feature of which I am aware is foul language live filtering (if there are curse words on a page, Net Nanny won't disply them). That took me a few minutes to figure out, but it's a great feature for young kids.

Net Nanny is still working well.

It still filters the web (sometimes in unpredictable and frustrating ways), but I'm much more happy safe than sorry.

It protects me and my family well and I have no solid reasons to think about changing my software.

I'm very happy.

Posted on: 2009-12-25
By Lyndon Unger
Helpful index: 80%

Good features - but I agree dangerous to the O/S.

(score 3/5)

I do not own Net Nanny, but feel compelled to at least support a few folks that had operating system problems. I am technical. I downloaded the trial version and like it. I wanted to try a few others.

The standard uninstall would not work. I was able to find many Google hits giving instructions on removing Content Watch software, but nothing would fully work. This was one of the hardest programs I've ever tried to remove. I finally reloaded my PC.

In my case it was a new system, so I was only out the O/S. It is a good product, but I would recommend [in ANY case] that anybody considering Net Nanny purchase an external hard-disk and take an "image" [I use Acronis] of your drive before installing. This is something you should do to protect your home PC anyway, especially if you don't have all your original install CDs.

CC

Posted on: 2009-12-16
By Charles T. Cole

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