[OLPC Security] A mom's worries

[Betty Dingus]

This list is way too technical for me, but I didn't see anywhere else  
to post. Some of my friends want to order the XO through Give One,  
Get One, but they're really worried about protecting their kids from  
porn and other bad things. One said ,

"My biggest concern about the XO is protecting my children: (1) from  
predators, etc. on the Internet or who get into the "mesh", (2) from  
accidentally or purposefully getting inappropriate emails and ads and  
(3) from accidentally or purposefully accessing inappropriate web  
sites.  I wonder if it's possible, when I'm not around to supervise,  
for me to remove access to email and the Internet (and thus meshing  
too since another XO that's connected to the Internet can share it  
with non-connected XO's)?   I don't know a lot about computers, but  
have been learning about children circumventing filters by using the  
wireless connection of neighbors (that haven't bothered to secure  
their connection).  Besides maybe thinking I'm overly protective, do  
you have any knowledge/ideas about these concerns?  On wikipedia I  
read a news article about the XO being used by children in some  
country to see and store porn and thus causing the maker to add  
filtering software (gosh, you'd think they would have done that to  
begin with!), but that doesn't address much of what I'm concerned  
about and filters don't nearly catch everything.  I know my big bulky  
home computer isn't free of some of these problems either, but I can  
supervise it's use (it's in a high traffic area with the screen  
pointing to where everyone can see) much easier than with a laptop.   
Any laptop would be more prone to such problems, but especially the  
XO with it's meshing feature."

What can I tell her besides, Bitfrost will be installed?

An XO pusher,
Betty
  
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