Windows Live Family Safety

Microsoft Family Safety is a comprehensive parental monitoring and content-control software that is available at no cost. The program utilizes a Windows Filtering Platform driver to effectively filter web browsing and provides parents with a comprehensive list of websites visited by their children. In addition, Family Safety includes Windows Parental Controls, which reports on computer usage time, programs run, files downloaded, and games played by children. Within the software, parents have the ability to create "allow" lists for Windows Live Contacts services, such as Windows Live Messenger and Hotmail, to ensure that their children only communicate with approved contacts. Alternatively, parents can choose to monitor their children's approved contact lists. Family Safety also incorporates a filtering system to detect adult content in images on websites that do not adequately filter such content. This filter is activated only on computers with sufficient performance capabilities, and when inappropriate images are detected, they are automatically blurred out. As part of Windows Essentials, a suite of free programs, Family Safety aims to provide users with integrated and bundled e-mail, instant messaging, photo-sharing, blog publishing, and security services.