[Ipg-smz] Any ideas for helping a friend with a computer-related addiction?

[Mac McCarthy]

Is there anyone who offers a whitelist? Or a blacklist?

On Thu, Feb 21, 2019 at 12:25 PM David Needle <davidneedle at gmail.com> wrote:

> Thanks for chiming in!
>
> That Chromebook idea might be worth pursuing. though establishing that
> white list sounds like a hassle. For example with the filter he could go to
> YouTube and see most everything, but some content was considered too
> "adult." Not sure about the Lee's idea, again, it sounds like we would have
> to either identify and limit him to a core group of sites (less than ideal)
> or try to identify all the ones that are undesirable impossible :-)
>
>
>
> On Thu, Feb 21, 2019 at 12:11 PM Lee Schlesinger <sayhitolee at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> If your friend is not technical you could install a custom /etc/hosts
>> file (https://www.hostsfile.org/hosts.html for instance) to block
>> undesirable sites. It's not a total solution, but it could help.
>>
>> On Thu, Feb 21, 2019 at 3:02 PM David Needle <davidneedle at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Friend of mine has been dealing with a porn addiction issue for many
>>> years. He lives on the East Cost (I’m in California) so it’s hard to help
>>> directly. But I have over the years with mixed results. He’s had computers
>>> that he’s ended up smashing in frustration and gone years without using one
>>> at all because of the issue. He also uses a bare bones cellphone because of
>>> the issue.
>>>
>>> His last computer was three years ago and we used a family protection
>>> service by Symantec a filter that worked really well (I had the password),
>>> until it didn’t. This doesn’t quite make sense to me, but as he explains
>>> it, he was getting pop up ads from Comcast offering free wifi on an hourly
>>> basis. He said these would pop up even when he was offline. I’m not sure
>>> how that could be so, but I guess if it was embedded in the computer it’s
>>> possible.
>>>
>>> Anyway, what happened was he would buy hourly time and that connection
>>> for some reason subverted or was immune to the filter so he could do
>>> whatever he wanted and that was not a good thing. He ended up shutting down
>>> the computer and stopped using it. I suspect he’s not giving an accurate
>>> description of what happened. It may be he ended his Internet provider (and
>>> Symantec) and then got the Comcast offers, etc.
>>>
>>> In any case, he wants to try getting a computer again which he needs for
>>> email etc. and starting with the filter again, but is worried about this
>>> Comcast issue happening again. It’s a weird situation to be using this
>>> “family filter” because he’s in his 50s, but seems to be the only solution.
>>>
>>> Anyone have any ideas or thoughts? I’m thinking just go ahead with
>>> Symantec again and see what happens. I don’t think he’ll get those ads with
>>> a new laptop. I think they were some vestige of the last computer that a
>>> friend gave to him.
>>>
>>> Thanks in advance,
>>>
>>>
>>> David
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-- 

Mac McCarthy


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