Technology Expert & Therapist

How many texts are too much?

Philip Rosenthal — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 13:38:33 GMT

I just had a young man in my office who sends approximately 25,000 texts a month. That is just about 850 a day!!!

How many do you send?

Are you addicted?

Philip Rosenthal — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 13:22:12 GMT

I know. I have heard it a thousand times. I am not addicted. I can stop anytime I want. Wellll....

Have you ever felt your Blackberry, iPhone or Android vibrate even though you weren't wearing it at the time?

When was the last time you came to dinner while it was still hot or the family was still at the table?

Do you get snippy when a loved one disrupts your online activity?

These are all simple examples of a phenomenon called Technology Addiction. It is something to wave off. People are suffering from the instant gratification of being online and connected. We have grown so dependent to our technology devices that we cannot survive without them.

I have met with people who didn't get on their flight because they had forgotten their cell phone at home. I have met with couples who are contemplating divorce because one spouse feels that the cell phone or computer is having an affair with the respective spouse. Kids are sleeping at their desks because they were up all night texting.

And umm, I think we all know what happened to Anthony Weiner, among others, who gave up a promising career because of their obsessiveness with technology. This is no laughing matter.

If you are reading this blog, then you are also a technology user. You may even be suffering from some of the things mentioned.

So, reply to this blog and then shut off the computer and go do something analog. The digital world could use a rest.

Monitoring Software

Philip Rosenthal — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 21:55:00 GMT

As I travel around speaking, I have heard first hand, some of the horror stories that parents are facing with their children's activities on the Internet. Because of that, I have decided that using monitoring software is most definitely the way to go in trying to protect our children. So, what is monitoring software? I will explain.

Imagine hooking up your camcorder just above your shoulderand turning it on and recording everything you do during the day. No matter where you go, no matter what you do, no matter what you say (or to whom). It records everything. Simply stated, that is what monitoring software does. It resides on your computer and records evey single bit of activity that transpires via that computer. The added benefit is that it does this secretly. No matter what someone may try to do (short of them beng a VERY sophisticated computer professional), it cannot be defeated. Not only that, but this software also will send you, the parent, a report detailing every single keystroke that was typed.

I have quantifiable data that for me has been very gratifying. Because of my recommendations, I can attest to at least a dozen lives that have been saved solely because of this software. Invariably, after a parent has installed this software, I get a phone call telling me how simply amzed they are to have found out what their child has been doing online.

After testiing over a dozen products, I finally narrowed my picks down to one that I feel is best value for features and money. There are two different versions of it available. One is called SpectorPro and the other is called eBlaster. I lean more toward eBlaster (even though both are equally as good) for one simple reason. You can set up the program to email you the reports of your child's activity according to when you want the update. I find a lot of parents are having the emails sent to their Blackberrys so that no matter where they are or what they are doing, they can keep track of what their children are up to. Jump back into my website and click on the link to go to their website. You will even get a discount.

Do yourself, and your family a favor and order this software. It very well may save your child's life.

Filters or Loggers?

Philip Rosenthal — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 18:33:00 GMT

Probably the most common question I am asked is, "What software should I use to protect my family from getting into trouble?". My answer is very simple. According to my own experience and backed up by statistics and research, filters just simply do not work. They can easily be bypassed by kids or others who are much more computer savvy than most parents. My opinion is that a keylogger or monitoring software should be used since it acts as a tape recorder that captures EVERY action performed on the computer. Think of it as a wiretap.

By using software like this to monitor your family, you will have a crystal clear picture of exactly what they are doing, who they are talking to and to what extent. They cannot deny what is printed out in the report. The downside to this software is that it is an after the fact solution. There really is no way to know before the fact, what someone is doing online, but this type of software certainly allows one to know exactly what is happening without any doubt whatsoever.

If you look in my website, you will see that I suggest a product called SpectorPro. In my opinion, it is the best product out there right now for protecting what your family is doing. ALso, I have arranged with the company that produces it to give my readers a $20 discount if they buy it through this site. All you have to do is click on the link and it will automatically take you to their site so that you can purchase it.

There is another product that will be available soon, that will allow you to have an idea of how public your child has made themselves on the Internet, and I will be writing about that in the near future. It isn't available for another week or so, but when it is, I will be discussing it in detail.

Until then, stay safe on the World WILD Web...

Updates

Philip Rosenthal — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 01:55:00 GMT

I think that I will begin updating the blog with various newsworthy information that pertains to Internet Safety, Forensics and general high tech topics that might have an interest to you as the reader.

I have discussed many times in my presentations about the various ways in which people can get online wirelessly. It always amazes me when I drive down a street and scan for unencrypted wi-fi signals. I don't want to give anyone any ideas, but any enterprising soul can piggyback onto a signal and be surfing the Internet for free with little or no effort. Recently a young person was actually arrested for trespassing because he was sitting in a stranger's backyard using their broadband account. The property owner wasn't upset that they hadn't secured their access, they were upset that this fellow was loitering in their backyard.

If you think that you have controlled your child's access by locking down your computer, think again. Did you buy your child an XBox or PSP for their birthday? Both of those devices have wireless Internet capability. Even though you may not approve, when they close their bedroom door, they may very well be online chatting with someone of unknown character. Be vigilant.

Recently in one of the northeast states, there was a case of a child who was the victim of a predator, who met that predator via that child's XBox. This is real danger. I am sure you have all seen the MSNBC specials about this topic. You simply cannot afford to let your guard down.

I will write more as time goes by, but let me know what your thoughts are. Is Law Enforcement doing enough to combat this problem? Should civilians be involved in exposing these predators? What ideas do you have for combating this issue?

Welcome to my blog

Philip Rosenthal — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 19:43:00 GMT

I would like to thank you for reading my blog. If you have gotten this far, then it is obvious that you are interested in the topic of Internet Safety and protecting children and loved ones from abusive and addictive online use.

I have been involved in the computer industry for over 28 years and Law Enforcement for over 17. In 1998 I developed the Computer Crime Unit at the Rockland County Sheriff's Department in upstate New York and became a Computer Forensic Investigator. Since then I have examined well in excess of a few hundred computers, pdas, cellphones and other electronic devices for evidence. I am proud of a 100% conviction rate.

Because of my work in this field, I have been called upon to speak about the dangers that exist in the cyber-world. I have become an authority on the subject and have assisted Law Enforcement agencies around the world on a variety of cases.

In the past year, I have become a consultant to the Mental Health Care profession. Due to the damaging effects of addictive online behavior, I bring my expertise to Social Workers, Psychologists and Psychiatrists to help them understand the complexities of a web addicted person. As the blog progresses, I hope to update it with much more technical detail of some these cases that I have assisted on. Of course, all information will be kept confidential, but the generalities of the cases will be discussed.

In addition, I hope to highlight some the speaking engagements that I have around the country to give the readers an idea of what problems are facing the various communities that we live in.

In the menatime, thank you very much for visiting and please do not hesitate to leave you comments.

All the best,

Philip Rosenthal