How to spy on your kids

;Spyware developers have taken to boasting about how intrusive their programs are, in full knowledge that there are enough control freaks around to keep them in business.
    Spectorsoft has released a new version 3 of its Eblaster spy software. This will record a PC's every keystroke, plus incoming and outgoing emails, passwords, instant messages, chat and websites visited - and send it all to a specified email address.
    You can thus get instant reports on everything your wife, husband or child gets up to online. You can also monitor staff use of the Internet.
    Spectorsoft president Douglas Fowler provides an example of how a parent might use Eblaster 3: 'Your child gets home from school. She receives an email after signing onto the Internet. Within seconds, you receive an exact copy of that email at your work computer, showing you who sent the email and the exact content of the message. She replies to the email and within seconds, you receive an exact copy of that email, too.'
    'This lets you determine instantly whether the person communicating with your child is truly a good person.'
    Fowler warns: 'Child molesters are notorious for gaining the trust of a child over a long period of time by exhibiting interest in their daily lives. Once they've gained your child's trust, they come in for the kill.'
    He does not say if Eblaster has facilities to help prying parents make peace with their children. But for those who don't care, or who have serious reason to believe their child is at risk, it costs $99.95 (£64) from www.eblaster.com.