Most filters currently act simply as content filters.
Software companies are now working to add privacy preferences to their content filters. In the future, label-reading software could enable consumers to set their computers to access only those Internet sites whose privacy policies match their privacy preferences. Content screening software uses either a filtering or rating method. Typically, the software recognizes a database of banned sites and search words. The database, however, requires regular updating, which may be at a cost to users through subscriptions.