– If you believe NetAccountability, you're about to meet your match when you're surfing for Internet porn and think no one else is wise to it. And they don't seem to mind that some people might get the impression that they're helping to nurture a nation of cybersnoops.
They're releasing the second version of their Internet accountability software, which they say will make it a little harder than their original version did for you to surf the adult Internet without someone else knowing about it.
"The anonymous and available nature of Internet pornography is too tempting to avoid for some users," says NetAccountability in a formal statement. "Many who seek electronic solutions to this problem find frustration in the spotty performance of Internet filters due to 'black lists' that pornographers outsmart routinely."
The second version is said to include more advanced reporting and accountability question listing, scheduled reminders, user-customized setups, advanced and expanded group setups, and uninstall alerts – as in, a surfer who catches on to the NetAccountability presence and moves to get it pulled off his computer will provoke the program to send a warning to the purchaser.
The company says it's not a filtering program as commonly understood, though they add that ordinary filterings are useful for protecting smaller children. But they say NetAccountability goes by "real time algorithm" rating Web content "on the fly," and making a permanent record of "questionable" content.
"We do not block sites," insists chief executive officer Scott Covington. "Rather, we provide accountability partners a list of permanent surfing records. The goal is not avoidance of bad content. The Internet is a great place to explore, but just like rock-climbing or white water rafting, it is important to have a buddy with you to ensure safe adventure."
They describe the program as designed "to help men, women, families, and ministry leaders enable purity and accountability" on computers at home, work, or church, keeping secure records of surfing visits including times, dates, and URL stamps, with the user's NetAccountability partner having secure online access to reports of their surfing paths.
"(This) is the best approach I've come across for people who are interested in building personal character and making healthy decisions when it comes to their Internet use," said Insight For Living's Chuck Swindoll in a statement. And his group isn't the only ministry group in love with the program – the company claims Salem Broadcasting, New Life Ministry, Every Man's Ministries, Saddleback Church, Wisdom Works, Joe Dallas, the National Coalition for Protection of Children and Families, and Dallas Theological Seminary as NetAccountabilty users.
"We have created a safer way to surf by building an effective software tool that provides relationship-based accountability for online behavior," says NetAccountability ministry partner director Lance Loveland. "It will assist in healthy life-change and lead people to view more appropriate content on the Internet."
That's the kind of content NetAccountability hopes will be the norm when future software introductions to the program include expanded monitoring for online chat, instant messaging, and peer-to-peer file sharing.
Interestingly, NetAccountability's privacy policy (yes, they have one) says they will purge, delete, or cause destruction of "all magnetic, digital, and/or print storage, (and) all accountability logs ninety days from the date of collection of such data," not to mention never sharing personal information "about you or your surfing habits," unless it would obstruct requests by local, state, or federal authorities. "Even by request from proper governing authorities," the policy says, "we will not and can not share data older than 90 days as it is permanently deleted from our systems."
For more information, visit the NetAccountability Website.
