Sentry Parental Controls is a group of content-control software

Content-control software

Content-control software, also known as censorware or web filtering software, is a term for software designed and optimized for controlling what content is permitted to a reader, especially when it is used to restrict material delivered over the Web...

 that logs, notifies and blocks Internet

Internet

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...

 content that may be unsuitable for children. The software is owned by SearchHelp Inc. (OTCBB: SHLP). The company conducts survey research of parental concerns over Internet use. In 2008 its software packages comprised Sentry At Home and Sentry Remote. Sentry Predator Locator was discontinued in December 2007.

In common with other software of this type, it provides parental controls

Parental controls

Parental controls are features which may be included in digital television services, computer and video games, mobile phones and computer software...

 for the safer use of web browsers, instant messaging, file transfers and other applications through a web-based control panel and updates on the child's computer with real-time protection

Real-time protection

Real-time protection, on-access scanning, background guard, resident shield, autoprotect, and other synonyms refer to the automatic protection provided by most antivirus, antispyware, and other antimalware programs, which is arguably their most important feature...

. The parent

Parent

A parent is a caretaker of the offspring in their own species. In humans, a parent is of a child . Children can have one or more parents, but they must have two biological parents. Biological parents consist of the male who sired the child and the female who gave birth to the child...

 can log into this control panel from any computer with the option to allow or block certain words, phrases, URLs and categories of inappropriate content.

The software was endorsed by American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 player Drew Bledsoe

Drew Bledsoe

Drew McQueen Bledsoe is a former football quarterback in the National Football League, best known as the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots from 1993-2001. During the 1990s, he was considered the face of the Patriots franchise...

 in January 2008 as part of the "Parenting With Dignity" program. Sentry Parental Controls - UK was launched on April 8, 2008. Coleen Nolan

Coleen Nolan

Coleen Patricia Nolan is an English born television presenter, author and singer of Irish descent. She was the youngest member of the girl group, The Nolans, in which she sang alongside her sisters...

 from Loose Women

Loose Women

Loose Women is a British lunchtime television programme, first broadcast in 1999 on ITV. It consists of a panel of four women who interview celebrities and discuss topical issues, ranging from daily politics and current affairs, to celebrity gossip...

 virally launched the software and it was soon mentioned as a "Must Have" by The Daily Telegraph

The Daily Telegraph

The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...

. The company became a member of the Internet Watch Foundation

Internet Watch Foundation

The Internet Watch Foundation is a non-governmental charitable body based in the United Kingdom. It states that its remit is "to minimise the availability of 'potentially criminal' Internet content, specifically images of child sexual abuse hosted anywhere, and criminally obscene adult content in...

 in September 2008. As of October 2008, it was in use by 30,000 parents in the US.

See also

• Parental controls
  Parental controls
  Parental controls are features which may be included in digital television services, computer and video games, mobile phones and computer software...
  
  
• Content-control software
  Content-control software
  Content-control software, also known as censorware or web filtering software, is a term for software designed and optimized for controlling what content is permitted to a reader, especially when it is used to restrict material delivered over the Web...
  
  
• List of content-control software
• Internet censorship
  Internet censorship
  Internet censorship is the control or suppression of the publishing of, or access to information on the Internet. It may be carried out by governments or by private organizations either at the behest of government or on their own initiative...
  
  
• Computer surveillance
  Computer surveillance
  Computer surveillance is the act of performing surveillance of computer activity, and of data stored on a hard drive or being transferred over the Internet....
  
  
• Wordfilter
  Wordfilter
  A wordfilter is a script typically used on Internet forums or chat rooms that automatically scans users' posts or comments as they are submitted and automatically changes or censors particular words or phrases.The most primitive wordfilters search only for a specific string and replaces it...
  
  

External links

• Sentry Parental Controls Web Site
• Sentry Parental Controls UK Web Site (dead as of 2009-12-19)