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Q: Forced Strict Filtering for Students ( Answered,   0 Comments )
Question  
Subject: Forced Strict Filtering for Students
Category: Computers > Internet
Asked by: j_akl-ga
List Price: $10.00
Posted: 06 Oct 2003 14:03 PDT
Expires: 05 Nov 2003 13:03 PST
Question ID: 263207
I am currently working with a school and am recieving complaints about
students accessing innappropriate content on the image searches.  I
know that I can individually per user change the filter settings, but
unfortunaately so can the students change them back.  Is there a way
that I can administratively force a strict filter on all students, or
is there a strictly filtered all the time alternate google search
engine that you could direct me to?
Answer  
Subject: Re: Forced Strict Filtering for Students
Answered By: sublime1-ga on 06 Oct 2003 21:49 PDT
 
j_akl...

You don't say what operating system or browser you're using,
but, assuming they're both Microsoft, and that you're using
Internet Explorer 6.0, there may be a way. IE 6.0 has a new
'privacy' tab which allows you to specify certain sites from
which your computer will not accept cookies. So here's what
you could do:

First, logged on as each user, go to Google and set the 
preferences you want everyone to use. This will create a 
cookie for that user. Then you can go to 'Tools' -> 'Internet
Options' and go to the 'privacy' tab. Click 'edit', at the
bottom, and add google.com as a restricted site. This will
prevent the cookie you've just created from being modified
or replaced.


Now you need to hide the 'privacy' tab, essentially eliminating
it from the browser. This will keep anyone from changing what
you've done. Now in Windows 2000 (and XP, I believe) you can
go to 'Start' -> 'Run' and type in 'gpedit.msc' (without quotes),
and press enter. This opens the Group Policy Editor, which allows
you to set policies which will apply to all users, and can't be
changed by anyone but the administrator. There are policies
which allow you to prevent anyone from making changes to the
Security Zones, for example. 

Unfortunately, Microsoft seems not to have updated the options
in the gpedit module since adding the 'privacy' tab to IE6,
so I don't find a policy listed which would allow you to
'hide' or 'remove' the privacy tab.

There do seem to be other software providers who have made
up for this gap, however, as there is a company called
Softheap.com which sells a product called '1st Security Agent'
which seems to allow what I'm talking about. The homepage is:
http://www.softheap.com/newadmin.html

The function I'm describing is listed on this page:
http://www.softheap.com/security-faq/index.html
...about halfway down, just above 'Applets',
"Remove privacy tab".

A free download is available from the homepage, and you can
buy it for $49. It will work on Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP.


Since I did make some assumptions in providing this answer,
please don't hesitate to ask for clarification, before rating
this answer, so that I can provide alternatives if you have
other software than what I described. If you are using a
browser other than IE 6.0, I strongly recommend upgrading
to that version, since it is only this version that offers
the 'privacy' tab for controlling cookies.

An online user's guide by skermit-ga details how to go about
clarifying a question and more, if necessary:
http://www.christopherwu.net/google_answers/answer_guide.html


Searches done, via Google:

"windows 2000" "policy editor
://www.google.com/search?q=%22windows+2000%22+%22policy+editor

"privacy tab"
://www.google.com/search?q=%22privacy+tab%22

Clarification of Answer by sublime1-ga on 24 Nov 2003 23:38 PST
j_akl...

I recently discovered the following, which pertains to your
question:

A Microsoft Knowledge Base Article describes how to disable,
or hide, the Privacy tab on the IE6 browser in Windows XP
or Windows 2000:

"To disable the Privacy tab by using the Group Policy snap-in
 in Windows 2000 or Windows XP: 
Start the Group Policy snap-in (Gpedit.msc).
Double-click the Disable the Privacy tab policy under User
Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\
Internet Explorer\Internet Control Panel.

If this policy is not available on a Windows 2000-based
computer that is running Internet Explorer 6, obtain IEAK 6
Service Pack 1 (SP1). For additional information about this
issue, click the following article number to view the article
in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 
316116 New Internet Explorer 6 Policies Are Not Available in
Windows 2000 

Click Enabled, and then click OK.

The policy is applied to the selected Group Policy object and
a **del.PrivacyTab String value is created in the following
registry key: 
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Group Policy Objects\LocalUser\Software\Policies\Microsoft\
Internet Explorer\Control Panel"
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=http://support.microsoft.com:80/support/kb/articles/Q283/1/85.ASP&NoWebContent=1#ITPro

You'll have to copy and paste the link above into your browser.

Best regards...

sublime1-ga


Searches done, via Google:

registry "remove the privacy tab"
://www.google.com/search?q=registry+%22remove+the+privacy+tab%22
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