Chirky

Two thoughts to this:
1. I could find this if it were running on my Mac
2. Yet another excuse to carry your own laptop

I think you are being too paranoid. Almost any porduct on the market can be used in a harful way.

Buy a gun for hunting or self defense, but some wacko can use one to kill people.

Buy rat poison to kill off pests, but somebody can poison people to death.

Buy sleeping pills to help sleep but people can use it to kill themselves.

And why on earth would you be entering personal information on a public computer? That's like walking through Compton at night waiving fists of money in the air and yellow obscenities.

I think its a great product that (like all products) can be used for evil purposes. I think I'll go use my moon telescope to watch people enter their pin numbers at an ATM.

I don't like it. I know it's a great parable for life - nothing you do is erasable and everything is being seen and recorded. But there are some people who just shouldn't have that power.

I'm sure that if I was a good enough hacker / enough of a computer geek, I could manage to get around this. It can't be completely indetectable. But I'm equally sure that I wouldn't be able to find it.

Scary.

Scary!

I don't think you're being paranoid. Sure, anything at all could be used for nefarious purposes, but identify theft is HUGE, and computers are used for that purpose. This is exactly the type of thing that those type of people love, and whether they should or not, people do enter personal information on public computers (think of all those kids in college computer labs--and people who don't have a computer at home). And lots of people naively believe that they are completely safe shopping, etc. online and so wouldn't care if they used their own computer or not.

But I bet there has to be some way to detect it (some other program, perhaps?). You just have to figure out what it is.

I completely agree with "Doc" he/she couldn't have said it better.
Everything in life can be used in a harmful way, heck people have killed with their own hands, so should we cut people's hands now??This is a very good product which can prevent many harmful things and I think that's what we all have to focus on.

I am the author of the blog you are referring to. I too thought about the safety if i was to ever use someone else's computer or even a public one.

I do want to say though it CAN be run out in the open if you want it to. I do think though that it is mostly run in "stealth" mode to catch any inappropriate behavior.

From what I've read, this program can also run in the open.
And for all of you who don't have computers at home and love to shop online, well right before you enter the credit card number pick up the phone and order from there.
Don't forget credit card theft happens from anywhere, when you swipe your card at the ATM, at Kmart or when reading it out to someone; this is cruel world so lets keep our children safe!

Yes, guns and rat poison and sleeping pills can all be used to kill people. But that's not my point. My point is not to be paranoid. My point is to look at this product realistically.

Identity theft is HUGE right now, as JLR said. And anyone who doesn't have a computer at home, or who needs to use a public computer because their personal computer is not accessible, could be affected by this.

I use my work computer all the time - who's to say that someone hasn't installed this on my work computer and can see my passwords and credit card numbers? If I use the library computer to order a pizza before I go home, who's to say someone hasn't downloaded the program on the computer? If I go on vacation and use a computer in the hotel business center to pay for my room or make a reservation elsewhere, who's to say that someone else hasn't installed this program on that computer?

I think it's worth investigating rather than passing off as being too paranoid.

dude I totally put this program on your computer and am currently purchasing the following items on your tab:

1. The entire collection of seasons of The Simple Life (in a vain attempt to grasp Paris's tone of speech)
2. adult size underoos in every superhero
3. nice set of smurf glassware I found on Ebay
4. Platform jelly sandals - I heard they're gonna be big this summer
5. Monica Lewinsky's dress - hey it's a collector item
6. Trolls, trolls, and more trolls
7. Every beanie baby ever created
8. A book of "yo momma" jokes for work functions

That's it so far but if you want something just let me know, this program is gold

and i also need to purchase a dictionary and a little thing called spell check . . allow me to fix the errors I found after hitting "post"

adult not dult
they're not thier (GOSH I hate that)
"your momma" not "you momma"

And on a serious note: Hmmm this is a bit disturbing if only for the reasons you have said, I don't own a personal computer and so pay some bills at work but I'm pretty sure that we don't have the program but if we did I would never know so that could be a problem.

Don't worry, Katie. I already caught and corrected the spelling errors. What else am I good for? ;)

Mel,

I agree with you that it sucks that people can use the software for bad things. Keep in mind that a person using the program in the manner you speak of would be commiting a pretty serious crime that would almost certainly carry jail time. You're not going to stop those guys from doing this sort of thing, whether they do it with software or get your card info at restaurants and/or use your personal information (easily obtainable just by grabbing your mail one day) and ordering new credit cards to a new address.

Here's a product that can save your teenage daughter from getting raped and tortured by some sicko (we all know how teenage girls go for the older guys.) Or your 10 year old son who just told some creep he though was another 10 year old when his parents are not home. That alone is enough for me to give it two thumbs up.

The more security we try to create, the more evil that can come from it. The patriot act makes us all safer, but now our privacy can be violated. Airports dont allow you to carry so many things that are great conveniences to us, but we're safer on planes. It's a give and take.

Hell, the show on dateline (to catch a predator) has opened the eyes of a lot of parents, but at the same time it has opened the eyes to a lot of predators who are now changing the way they get to their victems. Things will only get worse.

Big Kudos to Pandora Corp and software makers who create tools to help parenting. $49 is a small, SMALL, S M A L L price to pay if it keeps your kid out of the grasp of a demented, perverted pedophile.

Doc, I agree with your sentiments - $49 is a small price to pay to keep our children safe. I am a total advocate of this program - BUT I would like to see a way for a typical user to be able to detect the program. If it REALLY IS undetectable, then I think that's a violation of our rights and privacy. I don't care if my family and friends see that it is on my computer - it's there for a reason. But I want to know when it's on OTHER computers, not just my own.

Jes,

This type of software can only be installed on your own PC. It's illegal to install it elsewhere. You don't have the right to demand what can be installed on somebody elses PC that you are using. And if it's a public computer (like at a cafe) then perhaps they have to make public that the PC is monitored, but I am not sure about that part of the law.

I'm with you, buddy... I don't want any sucker seeing what I am doing.

So we have been discussing keeping kids safe. Let's talk about infidelity. Is $49 worth it to find out your spouse or fiance is cheating on you? Can this type of proof save you tens of thousands of dollars in a divorce when you have proof of their infidelity that forced the divorce? I see a lot of good uses for this software. And if I was only dating, I certainly wouldnt want to stay with the scoundrel if I found her cheating on me.

And this isn't just for women trying to bust men. Seems like everybody is boinking everybody these days now that the whole world is connected via cable or dsl.
http://www.menstuff.org/issues/byissue/infidelitystats.html

Wow; this is really frightening, Chirky. The program is a good idea in theory, but I agree with you that the "stealth" mode is an accident waiting to happen...And I say that having been a victim of identity theft. (It's *exactly* as exciting and fun as you've heard. Maybe even more so!)

How many of you REALLY place credit card orders on public PC's, or check your bank account on public PC's? I have about 20 friends and none of them (myself included) are stupid enough to do something like that.

Those of you that are scared of the "bad" side of this type of software, are you really being serious? REALLY? Who here will admit they do this in real life? Come on people, that doesn't happen.

Now if you're cheating and you're afraid your partner put it on your home PC, that's a different story.

What you should be scared of are sites that look like legitimate sites and then capture your logins and passwords to your pay pal and bank accounts (phishing sites they call them.) THAT is scary. Not legitimate monitoring software. Your TIVO has been slowly capturing data on you since you have owned it... be prepared to be marketed to in the future based on this information.

I understand your concerns and frankly, I share them.

However, I want to get the program N-O-W so that I can see exactly who my niece talks to online while I'm making dinner and she's on my computer.

At first I thought "Right on!" and then two seconds later "Oooooh, that's not good". You're absolutely onto something Jes. It's like the Nike digital pedometer that you can sync with your PC to show you how many miles you run - turns out the GPS system on it can be used by predators to stalk women running alone. Yikes!

I have a friend who is getting PC Pandora because he is almost certain his woman is cheating on him. Lots of "Girls night out's" happening all of a sudden. "Im too drunk to drive home, so I am just going to stay at Sally's house." Uh-huh.

I don't like it at all. I could understand if you used it only to watch your children's activites online but like you said it could be placed on any computer. I'm not down with that.

Makes me even more cautious on computers other than my own at home.

Dude, I have no problem admitting that I've checked my bank account AND credit card from a public computer. Both times I was traveling, once domestically and once overseas. I wanted to see how much I had spent and whether a certain check had been deposited in my account. You don't think it's a security risk because the little lock is in the corner of the internet page, suggesting it is secure. That's where PC Pandora can be scary. In public situations. That's all I'm getting at.

haha. I loved KT's repsonses.

That IS scary. Of course, we should all be cautious with our personal info, but if thieves are willing to dig through dumpsters to get it, there's no telling what other ways they're willing to try. And you do have to divulge that information sometimes, if you want to actually live a life in this century.

Jes, I couldn't agree with you more!! I'm all for having the program - sounds like a great idea... but it should be visible!!!! In fact, the visibility alone would probably prevent 95% of the stuff it's trying to catch(looking up porn, surfing myspace at work, etc.) It's the *in*visibilty factor that terrifies me.

Guns and rat poison are totally different. If you kill someone with rat poison, then you are 1. breaking the law and 2. using the product in a way that it was not intended. If you spy on someone's keystrokes... what law are you breaking??? There is no law. (not unless you *use* the info - identity theft.) You are using the product *exactly* as it was intended. So it's not about someone misusing a product - it's about the product having a terrifying purpose... namely to spy on people!

There is absolutely no reason for this poduct to be invisible. Would you rather *catch* your babysitter surfing the internet for porn while she is supposed to be watching your kid or would you rather have her see the little "I'm watching icon" and not surf for porn at all?

Ick - the whole concept of someone secretly spying on my keystroks makes my skin crawl. Personal info or not - it's just creepy.

And for the "that's why *I* always use my own laptop" people... well pin a rose or your nose that you can afford a laptop. Not all of us can, and yet we still need to use the internet... and sometimes, *gasp*, in a public place... with those *wretched* public computers.

Ugh.

Wait, there's more... ick! I just went to their website and ARHRHAHHGH I could not be more dissapointed with the intention a product.

Fom the website:
"PC Pandora will record every web site visited on your PC for easy access later. It takes snap shots of the pages being visited and allows you to play them back with VCR/DVD play-like functions. Is your child surfing porn? Is your spouse looking at online dating sites? Are they playing online games when they're supposed to be doing something else? You'll now know! Surf through hours of your child or spouses online browsing in just minutes"

"PC Pandora can run in the open if you so choose, to discourage children from going places they shouldn't be, but you can also set it to run in stealth mode where it is undetectable. If you're trying to record your spouse's online activity, the software can hide itself and won't show up in the program files, in the running programs, the task bar, registry or any other place. Completely hidden!"

"You may not want anybody to know you purchased PC Pandora. This is especially the case in households where a husband or wife want to purchase PC Pandora but do not want to be confronted about it on their credit card statement. Your credit card will show a payment from Click Bank, a processor for thousands of online stores, so there is no way to link it back to any one particular product. You can say it was for anything."

!!!! What kind of relationships do the people who purchase this product have with their spouses!!!???

YUCK!!

My thoughts? I'm intrigued by the phrase "suceptible to pornography".

Also, I think I'm on board with those commenters above who think that if you're considering the purchase of this product, you should save the $39.99 and broach the subject with the objet d'espionage.

I understand the potential benefits of this program, but the potential abuses of it scare me more than I think it would help me.

You can use the "guns don't kill people..." argument with me, but (gasp!) I'm really not a fan of guns for the same reason, so I probably won't be convinced.

WTF? No new post!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If angry thoughts could destroy third world countries, then every third world country in the world would be gone, obliterated, wiped off the face of the earth all because of my wrath which was provoked by your lack of new blog material for my reading pleasure!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HRMPF!!!!