[Wftl-lug] Funny use of Linux

[Troy Banther]

There are different arguments on how much control a parent should or  
should not have over their children on the internet.

Here is my approach. It is authoritative.

There is no such thing as privacy in a family.

Privacy is an illusion especially to a person who may or may not have  
the adult reasoning process in-tact.

Ownership. I own the machines I give to my children to use on the  
internet. I can reach across the network and review logs as-well-as  
look at the router and track connections.

Both the computers run Linux so it's easy to monitor and lock the  
systems from the operating system. I could also password the BIOS.  
Even if a live CD is used I can still track at the router.

I also learned how to auto mount the home folders on both the  
computers automatically and have them show up as network shares on my  
system.

Do I log in on a daily basis and check, no. Do I put them into a trust  
relationship - you bet.

My grandfather and father were both police chiefs and one of my  
degrees are in sociology with an emphasis in criminal justice. I can  
say without any doubt there are some very sick #$%^&#@ out there who  
would hurt and harm innocents without a second thought.

So my argument to them is, "Help me protect you." They know by  
watching some shows on U.S. television that there are people like the  
ones I mentioned in the previous paragraph who have no moral or  
psychological controls.

Is it perfect, no. The results so far, a balance.

They have a lot of freedom to do what they want but they know I have  
the capacity to restrict and monitor them.

Essentially, they are learning how to monitor themselves themselves.





On Dec 18, 2007, at 4:12 PM, Patrick Green wrote:

> Ole,
>
> Agreed on the Linux being neither good or evil.  ;)
>
> In principle, and as a parent, I would not use the keylogger.   
> However, I do not criticize parents that make that choice.  I worked  
> with a local police department to develop a seminar for parents to  
> educate them on the hazards and pitfalls of the internet.  Letting a  
> child play on the internet unattended is as wise as letting a child  
> play stickball on the jersey turnpike.  Anyway, in the  
> seminar..which I present at colleges in the Chicago area...we give  
> parents options.  Though it is not my favorite option, it is a valid  
> one for parents to choose.  I prefer the approach I do with my teen.  
> I insist on being a myspace friend on her page (same for facebook),  
> and I also am to have passwords for aim, email, and social  
> networking sites.  Now, I have never had cause to use these  
> passwords...but she also has not done anything in two years to make  
> me question that trust. Just my two cents and, as a friend says, I  
> do give change.  ;)
>
> Cheers
>
> Partrick
>
> On Dec 18, 2007 4:58 PM, Ole Kofoed Hansen <ole+wftl at tuxino.dk> wrote:
> Patrick Green skrev:
> > So I was talking to a friend of mine I have not spoken to in about  
> six
> > years.  While we were catching up I had mentioned my involvement  
> in Open
> > Source and Linux.  She got real quiet for a moment and told me she
> > thought Linux was evil.  She is a housewife so I am trying to  
> figure out
> > what an OS ever did to her.  She has 4 kids.  Her oldest if 15.   
> Well,
> > the 15 year old learned that mom had put a keylogger on her  
> computer.
> > So she used a live distro to boot up the computer whenever she was  
> doing
> > emails, IM, or Myspace.
> >
> > Now, as a friend, I know I should be on the parents side.  Overall I
> > am.  But I could not help but chuckle at a 15 year old girl's  
> elegant
> > solution to her privacy.
>
> While I can sympathize with wanting to monitor the internet activity  
> of
> children, I have no sympathy what so ever for parents invading their
> childrens' privacy. What I mean is, that if you're going to install
> monitoring software on the childrens' computers, be honest about it.
> Otherwise, when the children find out you have been spying on them, it
> will be very hard to regain their trust.
>
> And remember: trust and honesty have a tendency to go both ways.
>
> Ok, on the the real issue. Linux is neither good nor evil. Just like a
> hammer, Linux is just a tool. That mom could have used a Linux-based
> firewall and proxy server to make sure that all internet use was
> monitored, and then the girl couldn't have done anything about it
> (without getting her own internet connection).
>
> Regards
>
> Ole
>
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