New Software Records Net Activity

Charles River Media today announced a new software program that will let parents, teachers, and managers see what kids and employees are up to on the Internet.

The program, called Internet Watchdog, is different from some other Web-monitoring tools in that it does not restrict access to certain Web sites, according to company officials. Instead, it creates a record of all the sites the user has visited for later viewing by authorized individuals. A password is required to access the monitoring capabilities of the program.

Internet Watchdog captures screen and other information while the user is online and transfers it to a file consisting of thumbnail sketches of the sites visited. Clicking on any one of the sketches will reveal a full-sized image. Attempts to circumvent or tamper with the program are also recorded.

The program will be available for $29.95 for both PC and Macintosh computers on December 29 at computer software retailers.