Safebrowser and family limits

Arskaz

Hi!
At android, f-secure total seems to be failed in children’s phones. OK, some features work, but two major issues:

• You can not disable or uninstall Safebrowser, so you can not prevent web access from children. This is very bad.
• Sleep time is limited beween 6 PM to 12 AM

There has been couple of discussions before, nothing has been fixed…

Can we expext better news?

Ukko

Hello,

I am also only an F-Secure user.

You can not disable or uninstall Safebrowser, so you can not prevent web access from children. This is very bad.

Is it about F-Secure SAFE Browser (as suggested app to use for surfing web; and if 'Chrome protection' feature is not available on certain device or is not an option because of not using Google Chrome)?

I am not sure what / how the situation is different on iOS, but from Android experience:

I think that without the ability to use at least some kind of browser, most children’s activities on the phone will cease to be possible. Just like the use of some applications will suffer from the inability to open any page in browser. Installing an F-Secure app involves providing a more secure way to use the internet and device within the possible design of the solution. And also, in a sense, the basic functionality of Parental Control.

I think depending on the needs it might just be better to use some other approach. If the task is to deny children any web access, then maybe you need to look at something else.

Because, most likely (but I am not tried to check it right now) even without Safe Browser - some applications may have a specific implementation design (using browser-like technologies) that will allow you to open web pages and sites inside the application as if it were a browser. A smart kid might try to pull this off. A defense would be for the parent to "manually" verify that no installed and accessible application can be exploited in this way.

For example, where there is no browser installed and Google Chrome is disabled by default on my own device (Android) - I would sometimes do this to open a web page when absolutely necessary.

Perhaps, the closest to make something as a workaround is to list "Safe Browser" in App Control feature. So, it could be restricted this way. But since this has not yet been implemented, then looks like there are some limitations to developing this. Maybe because "Safe Browser" (app) is combined with generic F-Secure app and it is not possible to block / restrict 'themselves'.

Another trouble is that creating multiple user (android) accounts is usually not disallowed.

Thus, if there is a need to prevent any web-access but to allow only certain apps or tools in system, сould Google's built-in feature be useful, such as setting Parental Controls using Family Link? That is, for those cases when all other benefits of the F-Secure solution are not required. Because with such a strict approach, AV and BP may not be required at all. There is no access to the Internet (visiting websites), no applications can be installed (and all those installed manually have been checked), certain settings cannot be changed or modified, and so on. What is the risk for the device then? And Parental Control things like limiting the time of use are mostly covered by the built-in capabilities in Android/Google-account.

Moreover, on my old Windows Phone 8.1 device there was such a built-in feature as Kid's Corner - I think that something similar should(?) / can be in Android too. This could well be used for "strict tasks", where the main profile (adult) would be protected with a password or PIN code and would act as something like an Administrator account - in case the parent needs to log in and adjust something. And the rest of activities (by kids) on their corner.

Sleep time is limited beween 6 PM to 12 AM

12 AM is midnight(?), so 24:00 (aka 0:00). Or am I getting it wrong?

the 'frame' is probably 18:00 to 12:00, I think. Unless my app is out of date (or showing the frame incorrectly).

This means that you cannot limit the bedtime from 12:00 to 18:00 (12pm to 6pm).

Would you like to have some ability to customize your bedtime for this daytime period? or let's start before six in the evening?

or what did you mean here?

// as a 'strict' workaround - daily time limit settings has option to allow even only 15 minutes per day. By using, say, some relevant time - you can manage to restrict (similar to bedtime) the usage in the 12:00 to 18:00 situation.

BUT… I also feel and think that these settings are slightly limited and so on. I tried to suggest such a feature request: Alternative limits on device screen usage. As an addition to the daily use limits and bedtime. — F-Secure Community

Thanks!