Communicating via IM clients
Controlling communication via instant messaging programs (IM clients) consists in controlling contacts allowed for communication, blocking banned contacts, and monitoring messaging logs. You can create the lists of trusted and blocked contacts, specify key words that should be checked for in messages, and specify personal information that should not be sent out anyway.
If communication with a contact is blocked, all messages addressed to this contact or received from it will be filtered out. Information about blocked messages and key words encountered in them is displayed in a report. The report also includes messaging logs for each contact.
The following restrictions are imposed on communication monitoring:
- If an IM client had been run before Parental Control has been enabled, communication monitoring will not start until the IM client is restarted.
- When using an HTTP proxy, communication is not monitored.
The current version of Parental Control monitors communication via the following IM clients:
- ICQ;
- QIP;
- Windows Live Messenger (MSN);
- Yahoo Messenger;
- GoogleTalk;
- mIRC;
- Mail.Ru Agent;
- Psi;
- Miranda;
- AIM;
- Digsby;
- Pidgin;
- Qnext;
- SIM;
- Trilian;
- Xchat;
- Instantbird;
- RnQ;
- MSN;
- Jabber.
Some IM clients, such as Yahoo! Messenger and Google Talk use a secure connection. To scan the traffic generated by those programs, you have to enable scan of encrypted connections.
To restrict contacts available for communication via IM clients:
- Open the main application window and select the Parental Control section in the left part of the window.
- In the right part of the window, click the section with the user account that you want to restrict.
- In the left part of the window that opens, select the Instant Messaging section.
- In the right part of the window, check the Enable control box.
- Create a list of allowed and blocked contacts.
- Specify the default action for the contacts which are not included in the list: if you want to block messaging with such contacts, check the Block messaging with other contacts box. Uncheck this box to allow communication with contacts that have not been included into the list.
- Click the Apply button to save the changes you have made.
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