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{{Short description|Type of surveillance software}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2015}}
'''Accountability software''', or '''Internet accountability software''', is [[Application software|software]] which monitors and reports Internet usage, in order to incentivize the avoidance of any content deemed objectionable. Accountability software may monitor all Internet use on a personal computer, or Internet use by a specific user on a computer.<ref name="xxx">[http://www.christianpost.com/news/xxxchurch-pastor-and-porn-star-find-some-common-ground-48847/ XXXChurch Pastor and Porn Star Find Some Common Ground] at christianpost.com "[[XXXChurch.com]] also encourages accountability through its filtering software "[[XXXChurch.com#X3watch|X3watch]]," which sends an email or text message to a person's accountability partner every time he or she visits a questionable website"</ref> These software applications then generate reports of Internet use viewable by a third party, sometimes called an [[accountability partner]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/us/03addiction.html Church Counsels Women Addicted to Pornography] at nytimes.com</ref> They sometimes also double as [[content-control software]].
'''Accountability software''', or '''shameware''', is a type of [[surveillance software]] that records the user's Internet activity and reports it to an authority figure, such as a parent, teacher, spouse or religious leader, sometimes called an [[accountability partner]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/us/03addiction.html Church Counsels Women Addicted to Pornography] at nytimes.com</ref> The purpose of such software is to change the user's behavior by exposing them to [[shame]] and possibly other consequences for Internet activity that the authority figure deems inappropriate, such as viewing [[pornography]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Mehrotra |first=Dhruv |title=The Ungodly Surveillance of Anti-Porn ‘Shameware’ Apps |language=en-US |work=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/story/covenant-eyes-anti-porn-accountability-monitoring-apps/ |access-date=2022-09-22 |issn=1059-1028}}</ref>


"Internet accountability" is a term used to describe a commitment to refrain from using Internet pornography.<ref>[http://www.worldmag.com/articles/10555 Porn again] ([[World (magazine)]]) "programs track web browsing and deliver regular e-mail updates to an accountability partner of choice."</ref> To try to avoid [[Opposition to pornography|pornography use]], some individuals install accountability software<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wired.com/underwire/2012/05/orthodox-jews-anti-internet-rally/|title=Orthodox Jews Rally to Keep the Internet Kosher|date=23 May 2012|work=WIRED}}</ref> and filtering software on their own computers, smartphones, and tablets. Others install these services on their children's computers and devices.
Accountability software typically functions by continuously making [[Screenshot|screenshots]] of the user's mobile phone or computer screen and monitoring their internet traffic. It checks both for keywords (such as "gay" or "porn") and images associated with the behavior the software is intended to detect. If such content is found, the software generates a report that is transmitted to the authority figure controlling the software, who may then confront the user about their activity. The software may also double as [[content-control software]].


As of 2022, a "multimillion-dollar ecosystem"<ref name=":03">{{Cite news |last=Mehrotra |first=Dhruv |title=The Ungodly Surveillance of Anti-Porn ‘Shameware’ Apps |language=en-US |work=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/story/covenant-eyes-anti-porn-accountability-monitoring-apps/ |access-date=2022-09-22 |issn=1059-1028}}</ref> of accountability software products exists, marketed to parents and churches. The largest users of accountability software are religious groups and families.<ref name="BehunSweeney2012">{{cite journal |last1=Behun |first1=Richard Joseph |last2=Sweeney |first2=Valerie |last3=Delmonico |first3=David L. |last4=Griffin |first4=Elizabeth J. |year=2012 |title=Filtering and Monitoring Internet Content: A Primer for Helping Professionals |journal=Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity |volume=19 |issue=1–2 |pages=140–155 |doi=10.1080/10720162.2012.666425 |issn=1072-0162 |quote=These tools are especially popular with religious groups and families.}}</ref> Products in this field include Fortify, Accountable2You, EverAccountable and Covenant Eyes (the largest); there are also free options, including Net Responsibility (for Mac OS and Linux) and the free version of [[XXXChurch.com#X3watch software|X3watch]] (for Windows and Mac OS).
As of 2022, a "multimillion-dollar ecosystem" <ref name="antiporn">{{cite web|url=https://www.wired.com/story/covenant-eyes-anti-porn-accountability-monitoring-apps/|title=The Ungodly Surveillance of Anti-Porn 'Shameware' Apps|work=WIRED|date=22 September 2022}}</ref> of accountability software products exists, marketed to parents and churches. The largest users of accountability software are religious groups and families.<ref name="BehunSweeney2012">{{cite journal|last1=Behun|first1=Richard Joseph|last2=Sweeney|first2=Valerie|last3=Delmonico|first3=David L.|last4=Griffin|first4=Elizabeth J.|title=Filtering and Monitoring Internet Content: A Primer for Helping Professionals|journal=Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity|volume=19|issue=1–2|year=2012|pages=140–155|issn=1072-0162|doi=10.1080/10720162.2012.666425|quote=These tools are especially popular with religious groups and families.}}</ref> Products in this field include Fortify, Accountable2You, EverAccountable and Covenant Eyes (the largest); there are also free options, including Net Responsibility (for Mac OS and Linux) and the free version of X3watch (for Windows and Mac OS). Covenant Eyes made roughly [[United States dollar|US]] $4 million in 2008, from around 56,000 [[Subscription business model|subscriptions]].<ref name="covenanteyesmarketing">{{cite web|title=Submission - Covenant Eyes, Inc.; Ronald DeHaas (CEO), author Filter Plus Accountability Software|url=https://cyber.law.harvard.edu/sites/cyber.law.harvard.edu/files/CovenantEyesAccountabilityAndFilterSubmission.pdf|work=submission to law.harvard.edu}}</ref>


Following a Wired report in 2022 that described abuse of some accountability software by Gracepoint Church, Google suspended Covenant Eyes and Accountable2You from the Google Play store because of their use of the Accessibility API.<ref name="antiporn" /> In a blog post, Covenant Eyes stated that "our usage policy explicitly prohibits using Covenant Eyes to monitor someone without their authorization. We do not allow spouses to use Covenant Eyes to spy on one another or employers to secretly monitor employees. We also turn away parole officers who want to use our software to monitor parolees. We didn’t build Covenant Eyes for these situations, and it’s not an effective tool when used as spyware or 'shameware' for controlling behavior."<ref name="coveyes">{{cite web|url=https://www.covenanteyes.com/2022/09/23/is-accountability-software-just-shameware/|title=Is Accountability Software Just 'Shameware'?|work=Covenant Eyes|date=23 September 2022}}</ref>
Most of these products implement a "[[Zero tolerance|zero-tolerance]]" approach to pornography, and some are marketed as a way to combat "[[pornography addiction]]", as in the case of Covenant Eyes,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Talley |first=Scott |title=Accountability company's mission is unique. So is its employee-friendly nature |url=https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/top-workplaces/2021/11/14/covenant-eyes-2021-michigan-top-workplaces/8423949002/ |access-date=2022-09-22 |website=Detroit Free Press |language=en-US}}</ref> which made roughly [[United States dollar|US]] $4 million in 2008, from around 56,000 [[Subscription business model|subscriptions]].<ref name="covenanteyesmarketing">{{cite web |title=Submission - Covenant Eyes, Inc.; Ronald DeHaas (CEO), author Filter Plus Accountability Software |url=https://cyber.law.harvard.edu/sites/cyber.law.harvard.edu/files/CovenantEyesAccountabilityAndFilterSubmission.pdf |work=submission to law.harvard.edu}}</ref> Following a ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'' report in 2022, Google removed Covenant Eyes and Accountable2You from the [[Google Play|Google Play store]] because these apps used [[Accessibility apps|accessibility]] functionalities for surveillance purposes in a manner prohibited by Google.<ref name=":03" />


== See also ==
== See also ==

Revision as of 21:34, 24 September 2022

Accountability software, or Internet accountability software, is software which monitors and reports Internet usage, in order to incentivize the avoidance of any content deemed objectionable. Accountability software may monitor all Internet use on a personal computer, or Internet use by a specific user on a computer.[1] These software applications then generate reports of Internet use viewable by a third party, sometimes called an accountability partner.[2] They sometimes also double as content-control software.

"Internet accountability" is a term used to describe a commitment to refrain from using Internet pornography.[3] To try to avoid pornography use, some individuals install accountability software[4] and filtering software on their own computers, smartphones, and tablets. Others install these services on their children's computers and devices.

As of 2022, a "multimillion-dollar ecosystem" [5] of accountability software products exists, marketed to parents and churches. The largest users of accountability software are religious groups and families.[6] Products in this field include Fortify, Accountable2You, EverAccountable and Covenant Eyes (the largest); there are also free options, including Net Responsibility (for Mac OS and Linux) and the free version of X3watch (for Windows and Mac OS). Covenant Eyes made roughly US $4 million in 2008, from around 56,000 subscriptions.[7]

Following a Wired report in 2022 that described abuse of some accountability software by Gracepoint Church, Google suspended Covenant Eyes and Accountable2You from the Google Play store because of their use of the Accessibility API.[5] In a blog post, Covenant Eyes stated that "our usage policy explicitly prohibits using Covenant Eyes to monitor someone without their authorization. We do not allow spouses to use Covenant Eyes to spy on one another or employers to secretly monitor employees. We also turn away parole officers who want to use our software to monitor parolees. We didn’t build Covenant Eyes for these situations, and it’s not an effective tool when used as spyware or 'shameware' for controlling behavior."[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ XXXChurch Pastor and Porn Star Find Some Common Ground at christianpost.com "XXXChurch.com also encourages accountability through its filtering software "X3watch," which sends an email or text message to a person's accountability partner every time he or she visits a questionable website"
  2. ^ Church Counsels Women Addicted to Pornography at nytimes.com
  3. ^ Porn again (World (magazine)) "programs track web browsing and deliver regular e-mail updates to an accountability partner of choice."
  4. ^ "Orthodox Jews Rally to Keep the Internet Kosher". WIRED. 23 May 2012.
  5. ^ a b "The Ungodly Surveillance of Anti-Porn 'Shameware' Apps". WIRED. 22 September 2022.
  6. ^ Behun, Richard Joseph; Sweeney, Valerie; Delmonico, David L.; Griffin, Elizabeth J. (2012). "Filtering and Monitoring Internet Content: A Primer for Helping Professionals". Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity. 19 (1–2): 140–155. doi:10.1080/10720162.2012.666425. ISSN 1072-0162. These tools are especially popular with religious groups and families.
  7. ^ "Submission - Covenant Eyes, Inc.; Ronald DeHaas (CEO), author Filter Plus Accountability Software" (PDF). submission to law.harvard.edu.
  8. ^ "Is Accountability Software Just 'Shameware'?". Covenant Eyes. 23 September 2022.
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