Web filtering and parent controls for Ubuntu

Now a days every one from children to old people are using Internet and also the objectionable content in the Internet is also increasing day by day. So in order to let them not see obtain this objectionable content we have to monitor our children all the time but unfortunately it is not possible all the time. So then what we have to do? The only way to do this is to set up parental controls using some utilities in Ubuntu or else we can use some plug-ins for the browsers from their websites.

If you want just to track the usage of the user accounts and the data usage use the Timekpr (Parental controls) utility.

To install use the below command:

sudo apt-get install timekpr

If it keeps updating, remove any prior versions by using the below command:

sudo dpkg --purge timekpr

And then add the timekpr third-party repositories:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nedberg

Then use the below command to install it:

sudo apt-get install timekpr

When prompted which default display manager to use, select "gdm"

Start:

Menu -> System -> Administration -> Timekpr Control Panel

There is also a utility to control the content on our Pc. To do this use this utility.

Web content filtering

DansGuardian is the one which provides web filtering capability, similar to that of NetNanny. It is useful for limiting objectionable content in publicly accessible workstations, or for filtering objectionable content for younger users. It integrates with ClamAV, and uses several criteria for filtering websites (which is difficult to modify). It is used with Tinyproxy (best for individual users) or the Squid proxy (best for a network server).

To install it use the below command:

sudo apt-get install dansguardian tinyproxy

or use this command:

sudo apt-get install dansguardian squid

See these installation instructions from official website for setup details. In brief,

Edit the dansguardian configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/dansguardian/dansguardian.conf

comment out the UNCONFIGURED line:

#UNCONFIGURED

If using tinyproxy instead of Squid, change the proxyport to 8888:

proxyport 8888

Reinstall dansguardian:

sudo apt-get install --reinstall dansguardian

Set your browser to use the localhost:8080 proxy. For example, in Firefox:

Firefox -> Edit -> Preferences -> Advanced -> Network -> Settings

Manual proxy configuration -> HTTP proxy: localhost -> Port: 8080