This incisive analysis earns Consumer Reports the top slot in our All The Reviews Reviewed chart. Experts praise this software package for its flexibility and effectiveness in filtering Web content, though some complain that it can be difficult to install and set up. Since our last report, Cyber Patrol has been sold twice. Formerly a Learning Company product, it was sold to Mattel, Inc. and now lies with SurfControl, whose own filtering product, SurfWatch, was also a Fast Answers selection. SurfControl has discontinued SurfWatch and is now focusing its energies on Cyber Patrol.
Parents decide which way they want the filter to work, and can add Web addresses to either list.
Cyber Patrol's price includes a one-year subscription to the list service, which must be renewed each year at additional cost. Experts also like Cyber Patrol's flexibility compared to other Web-blocking software. Parents can set up different levels of protection for each family member, including what time of day they are allowed to be online and how much time they're allotted on the Internet each day. Cyber Patrol also has a feature that prevents children from posting their names and addresses to chat rooms and newsgroups. Kid Desk is a virtual desktop that you install on top of Windows, with separate, customizable interfaces for each child in the family.