Nothing can replace parental supervision, open communication and rules about the Internet to keep children safe from inappropriate content on the Web. But to help parents, Brainstorm offers Bess, an easy to use, reliable way to block objectionable Internet sites before they reach your computer and your children.

Content filtering is a way to make the Internet safer and more accessible for your family. Bess is designed to block access to objectionable Internet sites before they get to your computer. On sites that are blocked, a warning will appear telling you that the site cannot be accessed due to its content.

But Bess is also very flexible in that it offers an authorized override feature. This allows parents and educators to enter a username and password to bypass filtering in the event you need access to a site that is blocked.

Remember: filtering is in no way 100% effective, however, the creators of the Bess filtering system employ a full time staff of live human web browsers who visually examine thousands of sites per day to determine what should be blocked. Their list of blocked sites is updated daily to ensure the safest possible access for your children.

Because Bess uses human review, objectionable material can be blocked without inadvertently blocking acceptable content. Most filtering software available in retail stores employs a blind keyword search to block sites, but a simple keyword search may actually block sites that you may need access to. (Blocking "girls" may prohibit you from getting to the Girls Scouts' web site for example.) It's also possible for programs installed on your computer to be disabled. Since the Bess software resides at Brainstorm, the filtering cannot be disabled with the exception of a password override.

Bess filtering is available for $5/month in addition to your regular Internet access service.

OCTOBER SPECIAL!
Activate Bess by 10/31/06 and get YOUR FIRST MONTH FREE!
Regular monthly billing of $5 will resume on your second month and thereafter.

What criteria is used to determine which sites get blocked?
Bess uses the following site filtering philosophy:

Alcohol
Nudity
Adult Content publicly labeled as being strictly for adults.
Sex
Violence
Drug Use (Exceptions: valid educational use e.g. drug abuse statistics).
Gambling
Bad Language
Discrimination
Crime
Tastelessness
High Risk

To activate Bess filtering on your Internet service download a Bess application or call us at 877-651-6299.