Reporting Software

או חברותא או מיתותא

The Accountability Partner Imperative

וכשחלה רבי יוחנן בן זכאי נכנסו תלמידיו לבקרו  . . . אמרו לו רבינו ברכנו אמר להם יהי רצון שתהא מורא שמים עליכם כמורא בשר ודם אמרו לו תלמידיו עד כאן אמר להם ולואי תדעו כשאדם עובר עבירה אומר שלא יראני אדם

ברכות דף כח,ב

If Reb Yochanan’s words were true two thousand years ago, how much more so in an age when Yiras Shomayim is at an all time low and the mentality of “what will the neighbors say?” is what drives many lives.  The ability to access the worst imaginable temptations in the privacy of one’s own home with but a few clicks of a mouse places today’s generation at a tremendous risk.  This spiritual pandemic has caused even the secular world to recognize the truth of Reb Yochanan’s words and the value of bringing מורא בשר ודם into our homes.  Without an element of “public perception” to protect themselves, even the most righteous have stumbled.

 Ask any expert in the field and they will tell you that to effectively protect one's family and home from the dangers of the internet, at a minimum, in addition to a filter an accountability program is a necessity. The purpose of this article is to provide Rabbonim and concerned Balei Battim with the ins and outs of the available accountability programs that are on the market today.  Remember, however, accountability is only one piece in the equation.  Siyata Dishmaya, Tefillah, Filters and common sense, which are not the focus of this article are all necessary components of any solution.

What is an accountability program? At its basic, an accountability program is a software program that tracks computer usage (most commonly internet usage) on a registered computer or mobile device, and a report of that usage is sent to a designated partner.  Thus, whereas a filter can block or prevent access to a particular website, an accountability program simply records the fact that a website was visited and notifies a third-party of that visit.  This is a deterrent to the user to stay away from questionable websites rather than have to face his designated partner with the record of his actions. Another purpose is to provide a means of tracking the web-usage of the user if the situation warrants it, i.e. an employee, spouse, young person, all depending on the situation.

But I have a filter, why do I also need accountability software? Sit with a technological savvy adult or teen and it won't take long before they find a way around a filter.  The reality is our children know more than we do about computers.  Accountability software provides an extra measure of protection by recording content that a filter may not have picked up.  Moreover, because the level of protection provided by each filter differs, the knowledge that someone is looking over a user's shoulder seeing the things that they are doing is often enough to stop someone from deviating from the straight path.

In addition, unlike some filters, most accountability programs require a code to uninstall and if an uninstallation code is requested, the partner is notified, sending off a signal that something is amiss.

What are my options? Accountability programs come in two forms.  Client based and client/server based.  A client based program is one that is installed on a user’s computer and the locally installed computer generates a report which is sent to the designated user.  The program does not provide any distinguishing characteristics of the websites visited instead it simply notes the name and a link to the particular website visited.  By contrast, a server based program is one where the user installs a software program on his computer which then communicates constantly with the host server relaying any websites that are visited by the registered computer and this information is reflected in a weekly report that is sent to a partner.  The value of the rating system is that it allows a reviewer to quickly delineate problem websites based on a rating system.  The most popular known software of this type is Covenant Eyes ("CE").  CE's software is the software behind two frum companies, Webchaver and Yishmoreini.

Covenant Eyes. Covenant Eyes was founded by a [1] Christian minister in an effort to provide people with protection while surfing the internet.  A user signs up with Convenant Eyes for a fee and designates a partner who he would like to have receive their reports.  Once the Covenant Eyes software is downloaded and installed it cannot be uninstalled without first obtaining an uninstall code, which when provided generates an email to the designated partner.

Steps to getting Covenant Eyes (or Webchaver):

1.  Pick  a partner.  Your Accountability Partner should be someone you trust and feel comfortable with, and who feels comfortable calling you out if you’re starting to go down sketchy paths, like a friend or mentor.  Rabbi Yosef Viener the well-known Rav of Kehillas Shaar Shomayim in Monsey, New York has volunteered to be the accountability partner for anyone who does not have a partner.  Rabbi Viener can be reached at yv@torahsream.org. You can also always add or change a partner later.

2.  Once you’ve signed up and and downloaded the software, a person just uses the Internet like they normally do. While you’re online, Covenant Eyes Accountability works in the background, recording and rating every site you visit.[1]

3.  Once a week (or at a partner’s option every 3 days), your Accountability Partner will get a report listing the websites you’ve visited, and you and your partner can view these reports online in the Covenant Eyes Member center at any time. Unlike your Internet history, which can be cleared, you can’t delete anything from these activity reports – what you visit, your partner will see.[2]

4.  The reports come in an email whose subject line will immediately give you and your partner a sense of what to expect in the report.  Currently, the subject lines are “Looks Good”, “Review Suggested” or “Close Review Recommended.”  Once an Accountability Partner has seen your report, he or she should feel free to talk to you about it. Together this online transparency will help you learn to use the Internet with integrity.

An important note on the Accountability system.  For it to work effectively, a person being monitored needs to know that his reports are in fact being read.  Particularly someone who has a problem once he suspects that his reports are not being looked at, the embarrassment element is lost and the utility of an accountability system is highly diminished.

5.  Pricing.  Covenant Eyes Internet Accountability is available for Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.[3] $8.99/mo. for the first username.  $2/mo. for each additional username.[4]

6.  Filtering.  Covenant Eyes has now added Filtering capabilities to the to a username or a Filter-only username to your account for just $1.50/mo. (You save $3.49/mo.) NOTE: The filter is available for Windows only.

7.  The Covenant Eyes Accountability monitors all web pages visited, and then displays the most relevant ones in the Accountability Report.  The report will also show information for ads, video links, and pictures, etc.[5]

WebChaver. WebChaver is a frum non-profit organization that utilizes the cutting-edge Covenant Eyes software and scoring system.  The following are some of the benefits of using WebChaver (as opposed to going to CovenantEyes directly):

Webchaver offer the identical software and service for nearly half the cost ($4.99 vs. $8.99 for a single user). For large groups, Webchaver offers an even greater discounts. Full technical support is provided by CE for all Webchaver users.

The Webchaver servers automatically modify the reports to better serve the needs of the frum community allowing users to remove elements that are less relevant and moving the more relevant sections to the top.

For example, Webchaver provides a way to check the rating and description of a site directly from the report without having to visit the questionable website itself.  The Webchaver system automatically removes direct links from the report, so that a bad site cannot be accessed directly from the report. Otherwise, the report is essentially providing its recipient with links to sites that may not be appropriate. Instead , the links on the report lead the user to the Webchaver website which has tools to help "diagnose" the site without having to visit it.

Webchaver places the control of whether some (less essential) types of information is reported, in the hands of the user (as opposed to the partner).  For example, if a person does not wish to have his most common visited sites show up on the report he can choose to omit this feature from his reports allowing a user the possibility of only having questionable sites reported, and not regular usage. This enhances privacy.

Webchaver’s website is designed to be much more comfortable for the Jewish Orthodox community than the CE site. Personal contact information given to Webchaver is not shared with CE (other than the full name of the user). This prevents CE from contacting the user with their newsletters and other communications that often have very Christian tones and ideas.

Finally, Webchaver currently has several options and configurations for groups. A group can be customized to serve the specific needs of a shul or organization. For example, Webchaver can configure the group that only the members names and not their activity are viewable by the group administrator. If the group wants its administrator to have access to more information, such as report summaries, or the actual report, this can be done as well. Webchaver currently works together with more than 50 schools, businesses and organizations.

Yishmoreini -- As with other accountability software programs,

YishmorEini is designed to introduce a level of accountability in the everyday use of the Internet. What makes YishmorEini unique are the many safeguards in place  protecting the users privacy and identity. YishmorEini has created a network of community Rabbanim who serve as the ‘accountability partner’ for their  mispallelim. The Rav assigns each member a unique user number. Only the Rav knows the identity of the person behind the user number. With YishmorEini, the accountability reports are emailed to a team of reviewers who are not aware of whose report they are reviewing. Only reports with inappropriate material are then forwarded to the specific accountability Rav assigned to that particular user number.

Even if a Rov does not have internet or email he can still participate in the Yishmoreini program.  When a problem report is flagged, Yishmoreini will fax or mail a copy of the report to the Rov.

A note about Yishmoreini.  Yishmoreini was designed to eliminate the objections that people can have to accountability programs.  Common objections include such reasoning as “I know I probably shouldn’t be going to a particular website, but I don’t need the Rov to know everything I do” or “My wife needs a break and she watches a particular show, maybe its not the best thing” or “The Rov doesn’t need to know what we are shopping for.”  Individuals are therefore resistant to an accountability program that involves the Rov monitoring their every move on the internet.  At the same time these people agree that pornography is ossur and there is no legitimate use for it.  Yishmoreini  was designed to prevent such an argument.  It was designed to insure a basic level of protection from things that all will agree should not be in any home regardless of religious affiliation.  As a result, the reports reviewed by the Yishmoreini accountability partners are set at the “Highly Mature” level.  If no “Highly Mature” usage exists, the reports will not report any activity.

Other kehillos however may want an added level of review.  Yishmoreini permits such added protection but the user will have to designate their own accountability partner for this added level of review.

Yishmoreini and fees.  Again to remove another possible objection to the installation of accountability software, i.e., the price, Yishmoreini is designed to be free to the user.  The cost per user is $4 which is paid for directly by the registered shul.  Generally, most shuls can find a sponsor for this tremendous zechus.  Indeed, in Lakewood one sponsor has underwritten the cost to any user in the community.

To learn  more about Yishmoreini visit www.YishmorEini.com or call 732-660-8233.

eBLASTER. Unlike Covenant Eyes, eBLASTER is an example of a client based solution.  The user purchases the software program (about $99) and installs it on their computer.  There are no monthly fees for its use.

Moreover, unlike CE which records only internet usage, eBLASTER can be set to record all activity on the subject computer.  This includes a keystroke log recording any typing on the computer; the monitoring of websites visited, chat groups, emails that are sent or received, downloads, applications run on the computer and the particular user that did so and for how long, and log ins and log outs.  All of these reports can be sent to a designated email account instantaneously.

I have been informed by GYE technical support that eBLASTERE can have issues with its interaction with certain anti-viruses programs blocking it.  As a result, a user needs to call the eBLASTER customer support to have them walk them through the setup process working around any interference with virus programs.

A sample of the reports generated by eBLASTER is in the Appendix.

Mobile Devices. The foregoing discussion focused on computers.  All of the programs discussed are compatible with both Windows and Macs.  Mobile devices provide an added layer of complexity for monitoring.  The following are the most effective solutions for the most current popular devices.

Covenant Eyes does not at this time offer a Blackberry solution.  Spectorsoft the makers of eBLASTER do offer a program called eBLASTER Mobile with an important caveat it does NOT report web-browsing history. Only SMS/Text and MMS Messages, chats, IMs, e-mail activity, voice call log, photos.  For a complete web-monitoring solution (subject to verification) one needs to purchase a program marketed under the name PhoneSheriff (http://www.phonesheriff.com).

Covenant Eyes makes a program for the iPhone and iPad that replaces the standard web browser (safari) that comes with those devices.  The downside of this replaced “CE Browser” is that the CE browser cannot use the 'K9 Browser' which means that a users usage is not filtered.  For complete monitoring the user needs to create an account with MobileSpy http://www.mobile-spy.com/

purchase.html) and follow the instructions to install the software.  To install mobilespy on the iPhone or iPad the device must be “jailbroken.”[6]

Covenant Eyes Mobile Reporting is available for download at http://www.covenanteyes.com/androidalpha. Alternatively, Norton® Safety Minder for Android, is a free 'Web filter' together with a 'Monioring' system all-in-one.  When choosing this option one should have a friend or spouse setup the Norton Safety Minder account; otherwise the user will have access to the password undermining the utility of the filter.  This friend should go to https://onlinefamily.norton.com/familysafety/loginStart.fs to sign up for a free Norton Safety Minder account.  Then from the Android phone go to https://market.android.com/details?id=com.symantec.familysafety and download & install their App.  Should changes need to be made to Norton filter, you should contact your partner who setup the account for you, and he can make the changes from any computer by logging on to the Norton Safety Minder account.

Like many things in this world that are free, Norton Safety Minder is not foolproof.  For a monthly fee (currently 4.95 per month) users can install My Mobile Watchdog which in addition to monitoring and filtering internet access can monitor phone calls, text and video messages, contact list changes, email and calendar updates.

CONCLUSION

In an ideal world, a Torah home would have no computer, or as a next best alternative, a computer with no internet access.  At the same time, computers have in a sense become a way of life for the average family.  As a result, it would be a disservice to one’s self, family and community not to take sufficient measures and precautions to protect those with access to any such computers.  An accountability partner is one such necessary protection.  In the zechus of taking proper measures may Hashem the Shomer Yisroel shelter us from the harms and pitfalls of today’s society. 

For information on bring internet safety to your community please contact yachad2gether@gmail.com.

Acknowledgements

Yachad2gether would like to thank the individuals behind GuardYourEyes.org, the Technology Awareness Group (TAG), Webchaver and Yishmoreini for their assistance in making this guide possible.  Additional information contained in this guide was obtained from the Covenant Eyes and Eblaster websites.