Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > iPhone, iPad & iPod > iPad: Block Specific Sites for Specific Users

iPad: Block Specific Sites for Specific Users
Thread Tools
selowitch
Mac Elite
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Rockville, MD
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Feb 24, 2011, 06:45 PM
 
Hi,

I have four main users for my iPad: My wife, each of my two kids, and myself. I want no restrictions when my wife or I use the iPad, one level of restrictions for our son, and another, tougher level of restrictions for our youngest child. I want to do it on a per-domain basis. We currently use OpenDNS, but I think their tools for doing something like this look too difficult or impossible to configure for this purpose. We could do something based on the iPad's MAC address, but there is no way to have different user accounts AFAIK.

Ideas?
     
mduell
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Houston, TX
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Feb 24, 2011, 11:15 PM
 
What domains are you trying to block?

Sounds like a technical solution to a social problem, which rarely works well.
     
selowitch  (op)
Mac Elite
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Rockville, MD
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Feb 24, 2011, 11:26 PM
 
Originally Posted by mduell View Post
What domains are you trying to block?

Sounds like a technical solution to a social problem, which rarely works well.
Why should the particular domains matter? And I don't agree with your editorial comment, either.
     
turtle777
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: planning a comeback !
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Feb 25, 2011, 12:51 AM
 
You are right, there are no user accounts on the iPad.

The only solution I could think of are different proxy servers that allow different access to the web. Not exactly trivial to implement.

-t
     
turtle777
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: planning a comeback !
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Feb 25, 2011, 12:54 AM
 
Originally Posted by selowitch View Post
And I don't agree with your editorial comment, either.
mduell is still right, no matter if you agree or not.
In most cases, technical solutions to a social problem fall short and can be circumvented.

Of course, it would help to use tools (like a Mac with full OS X) that support a more complex setup (user accts., restrictions, filtering etc.)

-t
     
mduell
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Houston, TX
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Feb 25, 2011, 11:39 AM
 
Originally Posted by selowitch View Post
Why should the particular domains matter? And I don't agree with your editorial comment, either.
I should have phrased the question "What types of domains are you trying to block?" or "What type of user are you up against?"

I'd take different approaches if I was trying to block millions of porn sites vs a handful of social networking sites.
Similarly I'd take different approaches if I was trying to prevent users from stumbling upon certain sites by accident or deception vs a determined user attempting to gain access to particular sites.

Your post reminded me of the evil bit: The evil bit has become a synonym for all attempts to seek simple technical solutions for difficult human social problems, in particular efforts to implement Internet censorship using simple technical solutions.
Spam prevention and Digital Restrictions Management would other examples of the same technical/social conflict.
     
ibook_steve
Moderator
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: San Jose, CA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Feb 25, 2011, 03:00 PM
 
Do the parental controls (restrictions) in the general Settings not do the trick for you?

Steve
Celebrating 10 years and 4000 posts on MacNN!
     
ort888
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Your Anus
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Feb 25, 2011, 11:44 PM
 
The iPad really needs multiple log-ins. And password protection for the email.
     
selowitch  (op)
Mac Elite
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Rockville, MD
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Mar 7, 2011, 10:03 PM
 
I agree, but since it doesn't maybe the best thing to do is to only allow my daughter to use this (original) iPad, then block whatever sites I don't want her to view according to its MAC address; then get myself an iPad 2 for the use of my son, my wife, and myself. Daughter would probably get mad (she's four), but at least that way I'd have the control I want.
     
   
Thread Tools
 
Forum Links
Forum Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Top
Privacy Policy
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 10:39 PM.
All contents of these forums © 1995-2017 MacNN. All rights reserved.
Branding + Design: www.gesamtbild.com
vBulletin v.3.8.8 © 2000-2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.,