Good Cop Bad Cop: A New Computer Program That Polices Your Kids

Once upon a time “all” parents had to worry about was what their children watched on TV, perhaps some of their music choices and friends they played with, which part and parcel were neighborhood kids. Now, with the advent of the Internet and the World Wide Web, parents have much more to worry about as even strangers can get access to personal information and our youngsters.

And, as hard as we try, it’s simply impossible to supervise and monitor our children ALL of the time. The good news is, a new computer software program gives parents additional peace of mind making it easier for them to track their child’s online activity…helping prevent potential “assaults” including sex crimes and cyber-bullying.

This “revolutionary” software, termed ComputerCop, distributed by the Suffolk County’s Sheriff’s office combs the computer’s hard drive tracking every photo, e-mail, web activity, Internet chat log and over 1,000 buzzwords (such as sex), each time your child logs onto the computer. Furthermore, especially, since it’s so easy for kids to access “inappropriate” materials or make themselves target, the program is geared to retrieve information your child may have tried to conceal or delete, allowing parents to examine the information from the software which can be hidden from the kids.

According to officials the tool is especially beneficial less computer savvy parents, whose kids, know more about modern technology than they do, and who may otherwise be able to hide their Internet activity.

They note, that the Suffolk County Sheriff’s office will hand out 43,000 copies of the software, costing the county nearly $127,000 paid for by money confiscated from drug dealers and money launderers.

The program does give parents the right to “violate” their children’s privacy by giving them and easy way to keep track of them even when they are not around, looking over their shoulders, reading their emails and IMs and monitoring their Web browsers. Plus, the program seeks out words that may reveal intentions of violence, such as “beat” or “keep it a secret”.

Parents who would like a copy of ComputerCop can contact the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department.