Parental Control Heuristic Filter Unusable

I have been on the phone with BD several times and haven't gotten any help with the parental control module. I have disabled all of the options except the heuristic filter and only marked "****" for blocking, but I am blocked from sites like dreamhorse.com and my Aetna healthcare webpage. One BD rep suggested that I add permitted site names to the web page filter, but if you enable that option you'd have to enter all of the sites permitted since it blocks any site not listed. Another rep suggested that I enter all of the **** words I could think of in the keyword blocker - come on! I have emailed them 2 or 3 times and finally got a valid response from Corneliu Beiu, BD Tech Support Engineer. Corneliu admitted that the heuristic filter provides false positives and said they were working on the problem. I was then asked to update them on the sites that were blocked. That was one month ago and my computers are still running without any protection against **** invasions. I emailed a request for a simple password override on blocked sites so that I could more easily correct the problem and still protect my children. I can not believe that BD does not feel any professional responsibility to provide parental controls when it is clearly described as a function on their software. Any software developer that has identified a malfunctioning feature designed to protect families and then fails to correct the problem within one month (the password override shouldn't take more than one week) should not be in business. <img class= " /> Are there any other families or adults out there that have come across this problem? Speak up!! :wacko: Any BD techs out there that really know how to help me solve this major breech? I just viewed this post and noticed that BD has filtered my post even though I'm using the same word from the heuristic filter table and it's not a "bad" word it just describes adults behaving badly.

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Comments

Niels

Hello JackieH

At the moment Softwin (developper of BitDefender products) is working at their newest product line.

A filter can only search words it can't interpret the meaning. So if you have added a certain keyword a filter will always block it. That is also the case for other websitefilters which is called overblocking. BitDefender uses also a blacklist for websites to see which sites are blocked go to web (control). You have to check the option use the list of blocked sites provided by BitDefender. This list will be regulary updated. You have to create rules for websites that aren't in that particular list. So first select block access to these websites. An example for a rule you wanted to block the an entire domain with his subdomains: *.sitename.domain (.com,.net, ...).

Or to block sites that have a particular word *######* so BitDefender will block every site that has ###### in the address. Do not forget to press on apply.

Regards

Niels

jhoth

Hello JackieH

At the moment Softwin (developper of BitDefender products) is working at their newest product line.

A filter can only search words it can't interpret the meaning. So if you have added a certain keyword a filter will always block it. That is also the case for other websitefilters which is called overblocking. BitDefender uses also a blacklist for websites to see which sites are blocked go to web (control). You have to check the option use the list of blocked sites provided by BitDefender. This list will be regulary updated. You have to create rules for websites that aren't in that particular list. So first select block access to these websites. An example for a rule you wanted to block the an entire domain with his subdomains: *.sitename.domain (.com,.net, ...).

Or to block sites that have a particular word *######* so BitDefender will block every site that has ###### in the address. Do not forget to press on apply.

Regards

Niels

Are you saying that the reason that I have not had a response to my request for a simple password override is because BD is working on their new version? Are you also saying that the new version will address this issue? Do you feel that it's acceptable to sell a product that has limited parental control capabilities and requires the customer to enhance the settings as they come across objectionable material? Should we be required to deal with these limitations because BD has put all of their focus on the new version? Why not provide a patch to help address the problem until the new version is available? Is there any word on when the new version will be available? Is there a list of the improvements that it will contain?

As a parent, I want to know that I can allow my children to surf the web without fear of them coming across ###ual content and perversion. I do not want to have to sit beside them and review each page and then update my parental control software manually.

The BD firewall already uses an interactive, password protected code that allows the customer to determine if a program should be allowed access once, always or never. With a few simple clicks, that information is entered into the firewall settings and is applied everytime that program is accessed. I've done some programming and know that it would not be difficult to take the firewall code and modify it to work with the parental control module.

dcowan38

As a parent, I want to know that I can allow my children to surf the web without fear of them coming across ###ual content and perversion. I do not want to have to sit beside them and review each page and then update my parental control software manually.

After the 20 years I've been on the internet, I'd say your expectation is too high. Your children will come across ###ual content and 'perversion', that's the unfortunate way of things.

mihai_romanian

I feel for u but instead of making a fuss u could contribute to the solution.Try use feedback on the official BD site,talk with the live assistence and try to do what Niels said.I know u wanna give what's best for your child but nothing is in life is perfect.Use google to find the biggest sites with pr0n and block'em.U'r child will come in contact with ###ual content and 'perversion' but atlist try to understand that he has to learn about that stuff too so try to block the real perversion filled sites.We both know that parents and childrens only have a feew "talk" about **** so your kid needs to learn from somewhere.If u don't agree with me i think u forgot how it is to be a child,anyways a few days of search on google should solve da problem.

Cheers!

Niels

Hello JackieH

Other parental filters lacks also in blocking all matur.e websites. The reason is that every day many new sites come online. All these filters works with a large known sites the other you have to add yourself. You can't block every a.dult site for your children. So you have to make new rules as I said.

Regards

Niels

jhoth

Hello JackieH

Other parental filters lacks also in blocking all matur.e websites. The reason is that every day many new sites come online. All these filters works with a large known sites the other you have to add yourself. You can't block every a.dult site for your children. So you have to make new rules as I said.

Regards

Niels

Thanks for letting me know that there's not a lot a person can do to prevent all of the crap online from coming into our homes. My complaint is that I have purchased your software in part because it provided a parental control feature. That module is operating in a way that makes it more of a burden than a help to use. Please answer my questions regarding if this module will be improved before the new version is released (perhaps with the addition that I recommended in my last post) or in the new version and when the new version is scheduled to be released.

mihai_romanian

If by the new version u mean BD 11 it will be released in 2008 but u can test it right now.ATM it is in beta testing,the lastest beeing beta 4.Just contact live assistence and check it yourself.

Cheers!

khufu

Final version of V11 will be released soon, at the end of August.

jhoth

Great news that the new version will be released soon. But it won't do me much good unless it addresses the problems with the parental controls. Anyone know what improvements are going to be included in version 11? Is there anyway to get my money back since BD does not deliver what it promised? FYI - I have chatted with BD and found their reps were very uninformed and suggested very basic solutions that would only serve to cost me time with no positive results. I am really tired of getting the run around!

bluesprite

From what I've experienced with the beta version so far, the false positives when using the heuristic filters are still there. Legitimate pages are sometimes blocked even when the filter is set to "a.dult" level.

Niels

Hello JackieH

First of all I am only a volunteer so I don't work for Softwin (maker of BitDefender).

A filter can't think when it see for example the word ****** it will automatically block the page also when it's not on a non-a.dult page.

I will contact a higher person who could help you.

Regards

Niels

dcowan38

I haven't checked this yet, but will the parental controls block access to religious sites for the more stringent levels? Propaganda, hate, religion, and violence are something I would prefer to keep children who use computers here away from. **** and perversion doesn't worry me nearly as much.

I sort of get the impression that the parental controls work on **** only. Outside the USA, not everyone cares as much about nekkid boobies.

jhoth

Hey, it's October and I'm still waiting for some real help with the parental control module in Internet Security 2008. I've called two more times and did live assistance for 20 minutes tonight to get help, but none of the reps is able to give any advise except to turn off the heuristic filter (short for don't use the parental controls). The last rep I spoke with on the phone said they were going to have the sales department contact me so that I could get my money back. It's been over a month and no one has contacted me.

I'm getting false positives and would like to be able to allow those pages. The Web Control portion of the parental controls should do the job, but it does not work. I've tried selecting "Allow access to these pages" and adding the blocked site. I've also tried selecting "Block access to these pages" and entered the URL in the "exceptions" section.

Please do not respond unless you can help fix the program problem. I am not interested in discussing my moral choices or parenting style and I am not interested in your opinions on them either.

IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE THAT CAN FIX THIS PROBLEM OR HELP ME GET MY MONEY BACK!!! I'M SICK OF BITDEFENDER.

unknown

Please give your ticket number or the email that you have used when you talked to the support guys. You can send me some personal info such as name/surname and email over private message, but you can leave you ticket number here.

I'll try to see what has happened with your complain and what can be done.

jhoth

Please give your ticket number or the email that you have used when you talked to the support guys. You can send me some personal info such as name/surname and email over private message, but you can leave you ticket number here.

I'll try to see what has happened with your complain and what can be done.

I used LiveAssistance last night, so I didn't get a ticket number. I tried calling for support, but after the initial auto response I had dead air. I waited for ten minutes listening to nothing and hoping that I was on hold, but eventually just hung up.

The last time I emailed was July 11, 2007. Ticket ID:200707091007693 I am still waiting for a response to that email.