What’s stopping you from Filtering your internet?

google and AI are trainable. If you don’t look for inappropriate material, then when you do search for appropriate material, inappropriate stuff will not come up (especially, if you have filter on in google search – put that on if you did not do it yet).

Some people are so devoted to Torah and ruchnius that when they have to for some reason or another use the internet, they just go on to check their email or buy that item on Amazon (its not like their going to spend a half hour to choose which item is the best one) for 5 minutes from buying to paying page or to simply do some research which means they already have their search plans and then get off the internet SO THERE’S NO NEED FOR SUCH A TALMID CHACHAM BUYING ONLINE to need a filter. He has his own filter gates preventing him from seeing anything he shouldn’t be seeing by anything that EVEN TRIES to pop up not involving his Amazon buying or research etc…. to immediately X and delete the pop up page without even looking at it. He has no interest in it anyways and never asked for that pop up page.

If you be on that high level then you have no need for a filter.

You are correct. Filters are needed. As careful as a person might be things happen without them realizing, and one thing leads to another. Part of showing Hashem how serious we are is by doing as much hishtadlus as we can. This is hishtadlus! Irrefutable hishtadlus!

you need to start with why you need internet.

If you don’t need it, don’t use it, with or without filters. This is like everything else in life. If you don’t need a boat, don’t buy it.

When you, or your family, need certain activities on internet, like learning Torah or umanut, focus on that task. I am sure if you are searching for laws of shehitah, the worst you are going to see is pictures of cut cows.

Haimy > Having a filter lowers your nisoyon to be over the lav of lo sasuru.

absolutely. First, start by changing filter options in your google search: https://www.google.com/safesearch. There is also google family link that allows to lock safesearch for your children.

There is also openDNS that allows blacklisting and whitelisting sites on the network, that can be separate for differnt computers.
So, if you have limited number of sites you need, you can just whitelist those.

Because of my job I am online 12 hours a day. I do not have a filter and I do not get unwanted images popping up. If you look for them, you’ll get them If you do search words that suggest something inappropriate, you will get inappropriate images and ads that you didn’t ask for. One has to know himself and if he is tempted for inappropriate content, then filters probably are a good idea. I understand not everyone has self control but for those who do, I would think filters are optional

haimy > every time you go shopping online, there will be photos of inappropriately dressed women displayed.

1. there are adblocks for browsers that filter out ads
2. ads are usually tuned to your history of browsing, search, and clicks on ads. It is unfair in a sense that if you did it once or some time ago, the ads will be pursuing you for some time until it becomes clear you are not buying it. Aveira goreret aveirah.

For me firstly my work has its own filter for security and I can’t add more filters since it’d not my computer and I don’t have admin rights . It’s a “goyish” filter. Second on my personal devices I’d love to get a filter but can’t afford a few hundred dollars for my devices. It’s easy to say it’s only a few hundred till you have to pay for it. I have suggested on this forum before that TAG distribute free filters. It’s a tzedaka officially. Bikkur Cholom not only provides food but gives it free of charge . It’s 2025 where people throw out $1m on a simchas b shoeuva like it’s nothing and TAG can’t raise that money? Meanwhile what should I do when I can’t pay my bills ?

lakewood > What happened when it’s 2 am and no one else is up in your house

this is not a problem in my house! If it is in yours, just wait until your kids are teens.

the simple solution is time-based controls. And give your spouse/parents/children teamviewer access – that is have them logged into your computer remotely. If you are worrying about night shift, have also a shomer in EY or in China.

There are also tools that do random snapshots of the screen (or you can program this capability yourself), making them available to your shomer/shomeret.

Always>

My last post to you. You are wasting everyone’s time. You can’t afford a filter so don’t buy a device. They have devices that are cheaper which can equal the same price that your current device has. Even the one you are hiding in your room.

Getting teamviewer isn’t a solution as people don’t want to be your watch guard all day and it never works and can be blocked etc.

H

Chaim,
buying used phones is smart. Same w/ computers – a modern computer can really work for many years if you are not kicking it too much.

are you an uber driver or something like that? For many sedentary occupations, a computer would be enough. If you do need a device, maybe make it non-private. for example, when you come home, put into a charger in the living room and let everyone in the family use it while you are in shul or learning.
This should give you some lack of privacy – especially if you have savvy teens in the house. Or even you can plug it at home via usb as a drive to the home computer so that everyone can ready your phone drive from the computer when you are at home.

Always_Ask_Questions,

“google and AI are trainable. If you don’t look for inappropriate material, then when you do search for appropriate material, inappropriate stuff will not come up”

“When you, or your family, need certain activities on internet, like learning Torah or umanut, focus on that task. I am sure if you are searching for laws of shehitah, the worst you are going to see is pictures of cut cows.”
It’s not 1999, and we’re not using Netscape search or Dogpile. Tech companies want our eyes on our screens as much as possible engaging with their apps, and they are purposefully short circuiting our brains to do so. As much as you think you’re training Google and AI, they are training you too. And even if you think you’re holy enough to resist the greatest temptations ever developed by mankind, one should not sacrifice his children.

Chaim87,

“For me firstly my work has its own filter for security and I can’t add more filters since it’d not my computer and I don’t have admin rights . It’s a “goyish” filter.”

And that’s not the matzav here. Do you use your employer supplied device for personal things? Not a good idea.

“Second on my personal devices I’d love to get a filter but can’t afford a few hundred dollars for my devices.”

Sorry, I really can’t buy this after multiple discussions with you on the topic. “I’d love to get a filter” and “It’s 2025 and people just NEED the internet on MULTIPLE devices to live and not be in the stone age like the Amish” are not compatible philosophies. My hunch is that you would not get a filter even if it were free – it’d slow your device down too much, or block stuff you just NEED in 2025. The gripe about the cost of the filter is just a gratuitous attack on TAG. And no, I don’t work for them in any way.

“Meanwhile what should I do when I can’t pay my bills ?”

Well, depends on what your priority is. Should someone who cannot pay bills have multiple devices? It’s not just the cost of the device, but the data, service plans, etc.

Always_Ask_Questions,

“1. there are adblocks for browsers that filter out ads”

He’s not talking about ads that are blocked by ad blocking software…

Avram > He’s not talking about ads that are blocked by ad blocking software…

You may be right here. While it is hard to pin-point his exact issues and legit internet needs, openDNS is a good free solution for the computer – you can just whitelist the sites you need.

I thought, openDNS would not work on a cellular network, but gemini tells me it is possible. Maybe someone can investigate this:
You can use OpenDNS on a cellular network by installing a DNS changer app on Android or using the “Private DNS” setting on iOS and Android devices that support it. While some cellular carriers might block the standard OpenDNS servers, a DNS changer app or using a paid service like Cisco Umbrella Prosumer can override this and route your device’s DNS requests to OpenDNS or another provider.

Chaim, so start with opendns, it is free.