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6. Control Panel Options and Settings

This section describes how to customize the way iShield™ works by using the Control Panel settings and adjustments.

6.1 Detection Engine

The Detection Engine, located just below the Password button in the Control Panel, is enabled by default. In Enabled mode, iShield™ reacts to all suspected pornographic content that appears in the browser.

You can disable iShield™ by selecting Disable in the Detection Engine panel.

6.2 Detection Rate Setting

The Detection Rate Setting panel is below the Detection Engine in the Control Panel. See Figure 12. This panel lets you choose three different detection settings to filter inappropriate content.

To adjust the detection rate setting, do the following:

  1. Navigate to the iShield™ Control Panel by clicking Start >Programs > Guardware > iShield™ Control Panel. The iShield™ Control Panel appears. See Figure 12.
  2. In the Detection Rate Setting panel, slide the arrow to the desired rate setting.

Figure 12. Detection Rate Setting panel

The following list describes each detection rate setting:

Safe: iShield™ detects and blocks web sites that display images containing evidence of large amounts of pornographic material, but permits Web sites with images containing small amounts of suspected content, such as web pages with beach-holiday photographs.

Safer: The Safer detection rating falls between the less restrictive Safe setting and the more restrictive Safest setting, Safer is iShield™'s default setting.

Safest: iShield™ detects and blocks Web sites that display any suspected image, including those images that contain only a small amount of evidence of pornographic content.

6.3 Mode Selection

The Mode Selection panel, (as shown in Figure 13), enables you to choose from three operational settings, or modes:

The following section describes your choices in more detail.

Automatic 

Automatic setting allows detection engine to make the decision on what action to take under different circumstances based on severity of the detected content. If the content is pornographic, based on the severity level, iShield might either block displayed images, redirect current web site, warning the user or merely log down the incidence. User can also specific the action to be taken across all situations by choosing other settings. However, Automatic setting is highly recommended as it is relatively more flexible and accurate.

 
Figure 13. Mode Selection panel

Block

Under the Block setting, the Mode Selection Panel allows you to choose a Redirect option that gives you additional protection.

Figure 14. Mode Selection panel

You can select Block to block all pornographic images with the iShield™ blocker. See Figure 15.

Figure 15. Active Block mode

If you select the Redirect check box under the Active Block setting (refer to Figure 16), web pages containing large amounts of suspected pornographic material are redirected to a warning HTML page. See Figure 17. This measure prevents users from being exposed to inappropriate words within those pages.

Figure 16. Mode selection Panel

Figure 17. Redirected Web Page Displaying Warning

Warn

You can select Active Warn to issue a warning message on the computer screen whenever suspected pornographic content is detected. The user is warned that the web site address will be sent to the administrator (parent or guardian) in a report log. However, when the user presses OK, he or she is allowed to continue. See Figure 18 and Figure 19.

Figure 18. Active Warn mode

 

Figure 19. Active Warn mode in Action

Passive

You can select the Passive mode to record the addresses (URLs) of pornographic web sites and keep a report log. This mode makes no attempt to block an image or hinder the user. See Figure 20.

Figure 20. Passive mode

6.4 Web Site Blocking and Unblocking

As the administrator, you can override the image detection engine when you have determined that the content of a particular web site is either always going to be acceptable, or is always deemed unacceptable based upon personal preference. If you wish to visit a site where iShield™ has blocked images from potentially questionable content (e.g., a medical or a wrestling site), you can add it to the White List. Alternatively, if you find a site that you deem unsuitable for any reason, you can disallow it by placing it on your list of blocked sites, the Black List. See Figure 21.

White List

The White List is the list of sites that you select as acceptable for unmonitored access by the user. For example, sites that may be screened for inappropriate content, such as medical sites (depicting nudity or anatomical parts) or holiday sites (showing beach photographs), can be added to the White List so that the user can still view the site. If you add a site to the White List, the user can view the site regardless of potentially inappropriate content. iShield™ will neither block nor log any images from this site.

Black List

You can choose to block specific web sites in advance by adding them to the Black List. The user is redirected to a safe page from any blacklisted sites, and the incident is recorded in a report log.

The Black List may be used for any site you wish to block or monitor, regardless of pornographic content.

To place a web site on the White List or Black List, do the following:

  1. Open the Control Panel and click Sites. The Manage Sites window appears. See Figure 21.
Figure 21. Black and White Lists
  1. Click Add in the left pane for the Black List or in the right pane for the White List.
  2. Enter the web site address or URL in the dialogue box.
  3. Click Close when you are finished.

Blocker Images

iShield™ allows you to choose the graphic that is displayed when images are blocked. You can choose between customizing an image of your choice or using the default iShield™ image.

To block images, do the following:

  1. Open the Control Panel. See Figure 9.
  2. Click Blocker and the Manage Blocker dialogue window appears. Refer to Figure 22.
  3. In the Manage Blocker dialogue window, select one of the following:
    • Default
    • User Image
  4. Select Default to use the image that comes with the software.

To select your own image, do the following:

  1. Select User Image. The Blocking Image window appears. See Figure 23.
  2. Navigate to the file containing your own image and select it for blocking. All suspected images are blocked with your selected image. See Figure 23.
Figure 22. Manage Blocker Dialogue Box
Figure 23. Selecting Blocking Images
Figure 24. Images Blocked With Your Selected Image

6.5 View Report Log

In the Control Panel, click Report to launch the Manage Reports window. See Figure 26. This dialogue window displays the URLs (web addresses) of the most recently visited web pages that contain suspected pornographic material. Clicking on a URL in the table launches a browser containing the web site in question (without blocking images). This function enables you to review the content and make a decision based on what you find.

In the Suspected URL pane of the Manage Reports window, you can do the following:


Figure 25. Add URL to Black List Dialogue Window
 Figure 26. Manage Reports Window

Note: In order for you to view the original page, iShield will be disabled when the report log is open.

 

6.6 Guardware Product Updates

Use the Guardware Product Update Manager to update your Guardware products. You can set the update frequency to either daily, weekly, monthly, or immediate. Navigate to the Guardware Product Update Manager window by clicking Start > Programs > Guardware. See Figure 27.

The Guardware Product Update Manager icon is also shown in the System Tray, if configured.


Figure 27. Product Update Manager Dialogue Box

6.7 Limitations and Expectations

There may be times when non-suspicious or non-pornographic files are blocked. For example, the system may block photographs of young children (perhaps in bathing suits) or adults in non-offensive graphic files (for example family beach holiday photographs). iShield™ handles most of these situations with its detection rate setting device that you can set to your specifications. This device defines the amount of offensive content the system will tolerate before triggering.

You may find that the system blocks web sites with medical images or questionable words that you do not feel are offensive. iShield™ handles these situations by allowing you to add the web site address to the White List (See Section 6.4).

iShield™ may also have difficulty blocking web sites or graphic files that have poor image quality or have bright backlighting.

6.8 Uninstalling iShield™

To uninstall iShield™, navigate to the iShield™ Uninstall file by clicking either of the following menu sequences:

You must enter your password to uninstall iShield™. This password is the same as the one to access the Control Panel.



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