What you should know about VCF for iOS

VCF for iOS is the most comprehensive (and expensive!) filtering solution for iPhones.

Here is some important info about this filter:

• VCF for iOS works for iPhones, iPads and iPad Touch.
• VCF for iOS brings all the benefits of the VCF for computers filter to your phone. The filter is remotely managed by VCF, so once it is installed you can request new sites to be opened by filling out a form. 
• VCF for iOS takes 15 minutes for a brand new device, but can take a few hours(!) for a device has already been used. The reason it takes so long is because VCF completely wipes your device clean, so anything that you want to keep needs to be backed-up before. After VCF is installed, your data needs to be copied back.
• VCF for iOS can only be visiting by a technician. Currently there are locations in Flatbush, Monsey and Israel.
• VCF for iOS cost $7.99/month for each device, and $60 for the initial setup. The reason it costs so much is because VCF uses unique technology licensed by Livigent and it has a hefty monthly fee. the $60 pays for the technician who does the setup for you. If you have lots of music and photos to backup you might need Amazon Cloud Player and Dropbox which have minimal annual fees. See here for more info.
• When VCF is installed, you can decide if you want to enable or disable any of  the following. If you change your mind later, you'll need to visit the technician again:

• Camera

• Face time

• Siri

• Siri profanity filter

• Installing app

• Removing apps

• In app purchases

• Bookstore

• YouTube

• iTunes store (including settings for Movies, TV Shows and Apps)

• Multi-player games

• Safari

• Block pop ups within Safari

How to prepare an iPhone (or iPad) for VCF

VCF for iOS provides more thorough protection than other iPhone solutions:

Other filters (like MobiCip, or the K9 app) merely filter the internet when browsing through their app. It does not affect any other  part of the iPhone. The other apps that have browsing capability will still be open (e.g. Safari, the Google app, Chrome and a long list of others). The way to eliminate this loophole is lock your iOS device, and make sure none of the installed apps have browsing capability.

VCF filters from the core of your device – no matter what app you are in, the filter will be protecting you. It forces all web traffic on the device to go through the filter.

However, VCF for iPhone also has a limitation that you won't be able use iTunes on your computer anymore. Instead,  you'll only be able to use iTunes and the App store on the device itself.

The overall process includes the following:

1. iCloud backup – This takes most of device data and settings and stores it in the cloud (time varies based on amount of data and Wi-Fi connection speed)
2. Supervise device – This blocks the user from being able to plug device into any other computer (approx. 15 minutes)
3. iCloud restore – Restore what we put in cloud (time varies based on amount of data and Wi-Fi connection speed)
4. Setup proxy – Configure VCf to work on device (approx. 15 minutes)

Installing VCF for iPhone cannot be done on your own, you need to give your device to a VCF technician (see a list here), and pick up the device when it's ready a few hours later. The technicians fee is $60, and on top of the that you'll need to pay a $7.99 monthly fee which VCF charges to pay the licensing fees associated with this service.

Steps 2-4 need to be done by the technician, but step 1 you can do yourself. Here's how:

1. Make an iCloud Backup of your entire device. See the following articles for more information:

• How to setup iCloud
• iCloud: iCloud storage and backup overview 

Note: iCloud does not back up the following:

• Music, movies, and TV shows not purchased from the iTunes Store. Use Amazon cloud player for these (see below).

• Podcasts and audiobooks

• Photos that were originally synced from your computer

2. If iCloud is not enough we recommend Amazon cloud player (ACP). 

1. Click here to create an ACP account online 

2. Follow prompts to install ACP on your computer 

3. Select and upload your music from iTunes (or other sources) to ACP 

4. Install ACP on your device(s) 

5. Log into ACP on your device, and all uploaded music will be visible and playable within ACP app 

COST: 1st 250 songs are free 250,000 songs for $24.99/yr

3. If you have too many photos for iCloud, try the Dropbox app.

Dropbox costs $9.99/month or $99/yr for 100 GB. 

How to prepare a computer for VCF

The VCF filter sometimes takes long to uninstall. Here is how you can cut down the install time drastically:

• Remove all antivirus programs from your computer (some common ones are Avast, Norton, AVG, Mcafee, Kaspersky) The only antivirus that works smoothly with VCF is Microsoft Security Essentials. You can install it using one of these links:

• For Windows XP - 32 bit

• For Windows Vista/Windows 7 - 32 bit

• For Vista Windows 7 - 64 bit

• Remove all filters from your computer. For example, K9 Web Protection. Having two filters on the same computer is asking for trouble.
• Remove Covenant Eyes from your computer if you have it. Covenant Eyes is sold under different names, like WebChaver, YishmoreEini, or Venishmartem's own KBA.

If you followed these steps VCF will be very easy to install.

Note: If your computer is extremely sloooooow, and has hundreds of programs, toolbars and spamware, we don't think VCF will work for you - try K9 Web Protection instead.

Tip: iPhone Self Protection

As you may know, in order to protect an iPhone, you need to use parental restrictions and have someone create a code for you. See here for details. It does not matter what solution you use, this step is always required, otherwise, you can simply install more apps that have unfiltered internet. (The only exception is VCF/Livigent for iPhones).

But what do you do if you are concerned that your friend might forget the password?

Here's a possible solution:

Click this link to generate a list of 40 random passwords. As your friend or spouse to choose of these password. Now if you ever get stuck, you can refer to this sheet and try each password one at a time. It will be time consuming but eventually you'll be able to figure it out.

Repeat these steps to restrict your iPhone again.

If you want to generate a longer list of random passwords, click here. Make sure to choose the Numeric digits (0-9) option, and that each string Each string should be 4 characters long.

Obviously, this is should only be only for adults who need self-protection, it is not suitable for children. See here for more info.

Flatbush Filterthon (video)

Not too often do people filter 7 devices in one shot!
This clip is from the Flatbush Internet Filterthon

"I don't need a filter!"

Often I hear people say, "C'mon, I don't need a filter, I have self control... Filters could be bypassed anyway, if you try hard, so what's the point?" Well, my friends at GuardYourEyes.com have a collection of over 700(!) testimonials from frum Jews who have been helped through their site. A  large number of these cases could have been prevented had a proper filter been in place.

After reading their stories, a pattern emerges: The first encounters with shmutz are the ones that develop the taste for shmutz. These encounters could have been prevented by internet filters, because at that stage the temptation to view shmutz is not so great, and a person will not go to great lengths to view such material. Once it becomes a habit, you'll need more than just a filter. Why take the chance? Never say "It will never happen to me" - the statistics say otherwise.

אל תביאנו לידי נסיון.

Here's one testimonial:

"In my line of work, I am connected online every single day.
"I had always heard about the dangers of the internet and one day.my curiosity got the best of me. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about and I googled a few bad things. I was shocked and absolved.never to do that again. But the yetzer hara is much smarter He convinced me that looking at certain things was not a problem, so why don't you do that? And that's exactly what I began to do. Until it led me to the very worst, even live meetings. I can't believe this happened to me! I was the tzadik! And now I had fallen. It went from bad to worse in a very short period of time. I've tried so many times to stop and always slipped back. Until I've found ur website. Gevalt. The first 30 days I had not one clean day!!!

Computer Trouble

If you're skeptical about filters, read this article. It might change your mind!

Reprinted from Mishpacha Magazine, Jan 16, 2013.

by C. Shaphir

It was a long and frustrating Motzaei Shabbos. My wife Shiffy was out at some Melaveh Malkah fundraiser, and I was babsitting. I never enjoyed getting five kids to bed, but this particular night, my four-year-old daughter Miri had given me a really hard time, coming ouf of bed every two minutes and then crying her head off for an hour after I warned her that she'd better not come out of bed again.

I had been planning to learn the next day's daf so I'd be prepared for my shiur the next evening, but after finally settling everyone down, I did not have the head to open my Gemara. Instead, I decided to check my e-mail.

I own a landscaping and snow removal business, and although I do maintain a small Web site, most of my work comes through the old-fashioned way, through word of mouth recommendations and advertisements in the Yellow Pages and local circulars. Some of my customers communicate with me by e-mail, but it's rare that an urgent e-mail will come in over Shabbos. If there's an emergency - "Mr. Balter! The squirrels dug up my tulip bulbs!" - I'll usually get a call on my cell phone.

The only client e-mail that Motzaei Shabbos was from Mrs. Milner, an old customer who wanted to know how often to water her new hydrangeas. There was one other e-mail, from Phil Schwartz, a shul buddy of mine. The subject line said "Hilarious!!!! Must See!!!!!!!" and the mail contained a link to some YouTube video. I clicked on the link, just so that I could respond to Phil with an LOL (or maybe LOL!!!!!!!!!!).

I don't know how it happened, but after I viewed the short slapstick clip, I must have accidentally clicked on a nearby link to a different video. The moment I clicked on the link, I knew that this was not something I wanted to see. But my curiosity was uncontrollable. Just one quick peek....

One quick peek, and I spent the next hour in front of some of the worst images the yetzer hara has to offer. My heart was pounding with horror and revulsion, but as much as I willed myself to click on the little x in the corner of the screen, I could not do it. Only when I heard Shiffy's key turning in the door did I quickly hit "close all tabs" on the Internet browser and then frantically delete the browsers history.

I was terrified that Shiify would notice that my hands were shaking badly, or spot the guilt written all over my face. But she came in all happy and excited, telling me that she had won a new coffeemaker at the Chinese auction and going on and on about how little space on the counter the new machine takes up.

I felt sick. Sick that I had allowed myself to sink so low, and sick that I had gone behind Shiffy's back and done something that would hurt her terribly, if she only knew.

I walked around the next day, and the rest of the week, with a heavy burden of shame and disgrace hanging over me. Shiffy - who's a pretty astute person - remained blissfully oblivious to the awful secret I was carrying, and the more she carried on with life as usual, the worse I felt about myself.

When Shabbos came, I could no longer bear it. After Shiffy lit candles and wished me a Gut Shabbos, I blurted out to her what I had done.

Her eyes widened. "Danny, how could you?" she whispered. "I can't believe it." And then she started to cry.

I found her tears strangely comforting. All Week, I had been living in dread of this reaction, and now that it was over, I felt weak with relief.

Still, it was one of the saddest Shabbosim of our married life. The lowest point was when Shiffy reminded me of what I myself had said when she had asked that we install a filter on our home computer.

At the time, I had scoffed at the idea. "A Jew needs a filter on his neshamah, not on his computer," I had declared. "A guy who needs a filter to stop him from looking at bad stuff is going to find ways around the filter anyway, and a person who has yiras Shamayim doesn't need K9 or Net Nanny to babysit him."

Op-Ed: The limits of filtering

Many people ask "I got device xyz" or "I want to get myself/my kids/the family device xyz, what can I get that will ensure no one can access anything inappropriate?"

My answer is always the same. There is a cross-platform solution that is fool-proof. It's called a hammer. Smash your device to tiny pieces and you can't get anything bad. ANYTHING other than that and there are no guarantees.

Filters are tools that are a good help for someone who WANTS to succeed. Ultimately, the restraint and filter has to come from the user. They will not work for someone who doesn't want them to. There is always a way around, they are always a step ahead.

NEVER EVER think that a device is safe because we "locked it down" - no matter what you did.

The challenge is simply to make it difficult enough to access דברים האסורים that one will not be tempted in a moment of weakness and that it won't be something you feel and think they have easy access to.  Essentially, make it hard enough to get that it's out of sight and, hence, out of mind.

This being the case, if the filter has a simple 2-minute workaround it doesn't qualify as properly protected, but a lengthy process to bypass a filter will not enter someone's mind as a reasonable course of action.

(Thanks A.F. and D.P.)

Internet Protection for Children

For children and teens, you never know what they might be willing to do to access unfiltered internet.
In general, you can rely on reasonable protection (a very strong filter) until you become suspicious.

• Periodically check to make sure that the filtering solution is still installed, and the passwords (if any) are still the same.
• Don't give your child an internet enabled mobile device which he can take anywhere, even if it is filtered.  
• Internet enabled devices should only be allowed with supervision. 
• Children should only be given a limited windows account, not a admin account. 
• Lock your Bios
• Use a program like eBlaster so that you could see what your child is up to. Your kids won't think of trying to defeat it because they don't know it's there! If you find out that your child attempted to view inappropriate material - even if your filter ended up blocking it - it's time to become extra vigilant. Aside from chinuch which is beyond the scope of this blog, pay careful attention to what you what your child has on his USB sticks, DVD's etc, as well as new programs installed on your computer.
• Consider blocking the internet entirely for your children, and allowing filtered only for you. (The Venishmartem Cloud Filter has this option).
• Consider setting up a whitelist, so that only the sites you need are allowed, and everything is else remains blocked.
• Consider getting a filter like VCF that cannot be bypassed with a password. This eliminates the possibility that your child will somehow find out your password, and disable the filter when he seems fit.
• Lock you Wi-Fi with a secret password. If you have open Wi-Fi networks from your neighbors, you can ask them to lock it as well. They will usually be happy to do so if you tell them how.
• Consider having a desktop for home use instead of a laptop. If the desktop is in a central location, there is less of a chance of it being used inappropriately. 

Short of using the hammer approach, or setting up a surveillance camera facing the computer screen (believe or not, I know someone who did this!) this is the best you can do. 

The Benefits of Remote/Central Filter Administration

The feature in the title of this post is the key distinction between K9 and cloud based filters like VCF. This prevents the filter from being disabled in a weak moment, but it also provides another benefit. Let's say a new damaging website appears which K9 does not detect for whatever reason, maybe because only frum Jews would find it offensive. What do you do?

• Each individual computer with K9 would need to block this website.
• Each user who don't have the password (because a friend or TAG is holding it), would need to ask their friend for assistance.

All this would need to be done just to block a single URL! With a cloud based filter, the URL can be added to a central blacklist, and all the filter uses will get the URL blocked automatically.

The Power of Livigent

Some people wonder what's special about Livigent, and why it is better than other solutions. (Livigent is the company which powers the Venishmartem Cloud Filter, Meshimer and other filters).

It would take a long time to write a full list of features, but I'll start with a few things and edit the post from time to time to add additional information. Bear in mind that this post will be technical, and is meant mainly for technicians interested in understanding how Livigent works.

1) Category based filtering. Almost any filter has this feature, but livigent does it better. For example, if you decide to block "News", Livigent lets you specify if you want to only block sites that are 100% news, or even sites that are 10% news. To get a feel of how this works, click here to test a URL.

2) Keyword Filtering. This is a feature that lets you allow or block a page depending on the keywords. You can tell Livigent to block or allow any website that has specific keywords. K9 seems to have limited support for keywords in URL's, but it can't detect words inside the webpage itself.

Livigent can do any of the following:

• Detect how many times a word appears in a page. You can specify if you want the words to appear in the body of the page, title of the page, URL of the page, keywords of the page or any combination of these. 

•  You can set Livigent to only block pages that have a combination of keywords (in any of the aforementioned places). For example, if you want to block any site that sells women's clothing, you can set the filter to block any page that has the words "women" and also the word "clothing".

• You can tell Livigent to only block these keywords if they appear an X number of times on the page. For example, to only block sites that have the words "women" and "clothing" twice on the page. 

• You can create very complex rules that sounds like they came straight out of a long tosfos in bava kama. E.g., if keyword X or keyword Y are in the URL, and also the body of the page has Keyword A or keyword B five times then block the site, unless it has keyword C, D and E less than 3 times...."

This feature is the most powerful feature in Livigent, since it lets you be very specific about which pages you want to block.

3) Layered rules.  Livigent allows you to create conflicting rules, but stack them on top of each other in order of priority. For example, let's say you 2 rules:

• A) Block sites that have 20% or more of entertainment.
• B) Allow CNN.com

If you put rule A first, only the parts of CNN that don't contain entertainment will be allowed. If you put rule B first, CNN will be entirely open. This feature let's you be very specific about what should be opened and what should not be opened.

4) Blocking types of pages. Livigent allows you to block/allow parts of the web based on what type of files they are. For example, you can block all videos or all images on the web (or on specific sites) with just one click.

Of course it isn't practical for each user of Livigent to setup these rules themselves. But the flexibility in the filter allows companies that use Livigent (like VCF) to create a different collections of pre-set rules that they can apply to any of their customers.

Do you know of other solutions that offer similar functionality? If yes, please share them in the comments.

Here are some ideas on the K9 wish list, which Livigent already has:

• Real-time Blacklist/Whitelist of page content (425 votes!)
• Remote/Central Administration (1,567 votes!)
• Add regular expressions to the keyword filter (126 votes)
• Allow wildcard characters in whitelist and blacklist entries
• Filter pictures (109 votes)
• Non-ASCII support for keywords (83 votes)
• Custom/advanced install option: permanent "hard" blocking (no password override) of specified catgegories
• A feature to prevent display of images of some user mentioned sites
• Submit blocked site to admin for white listing
• Block base file types like mp3, flv, etc ?? also block user from upload
• Offer configurability for mobile devices (2104 votes!)

בשולי הדברים, I'll address a myth I read on some forum that Livigent is "strict". The truth is that Livigent is an empty canvas and the rules are set only by the filter administrator, each company that licenses Livigent does it their way. Most companies offer various degrees of strictness depending on the level that the customer wants.

Cute filter campaign on TheYeshivaWorld

A new campaign on TheYeshivahWorld website is promoting the use of filters. Each week a new cartoon is displayed on the homepage that shows the dangers of unfiltered internet.

Here is this week's cartoon:

Venishmartem Cloud Filter and the Esrogim "Scam"

This is a response to the "Scams that plague the frum world" blog, which has written a post titled "Venishmartem Cloud Filter Scam".

The logic of his post is so twisted and faulty, that it boggles the mind. The guy hasn't got one ounce of critical thinking, which is the most important skill needed to expose scams. Instead he suffers from selective thinking, and confirmation bias. Since he is an Anti-filter advocate, he lets his pen loose whenever it comes to filters. That's how a non-profit filter built by a small group of idealistic people, who in real life might have been his best friends, can be classified as a "scam". To see how ridiculous his post is, I'll paraphrase his blog post below, and just replace the words VCF with "esrogim".

"The Esrogim Mehudarim organization has recently recently distributed a flyer in my neighborhood of Brooklyn. In short I'll explain why this flyer is a scam.

"The flyer is promoting an event that is here to help yidden to buy esrogim, and will have rabbonim on site offering FREE advice as to which esrog is the best for them. It is well known today that lemon varieties, such as Bonnie Brae grown in  San Diego County are available for free, and yet this event is promoting a "mehudar and better" esrogim. This scam falls into the category of Bait and Switch Scam. One is lured into attending this event and then is recommended by professionals to pay for a esrog they claim is best. This behavior is unethical anywhere but it being done in the name of the Gedolim and as a community service is the only reason I'm speaking out.

"This itself is a problem but furthermore there is no documentation that this new costly esrog, where you pay a extra fees for the look and shape of the esrog is any more effective than a free lemon. Bonnie Brae lemons are smooth, thin skinned and seedless too.

"The flyer claims "Much effort and expense was invested to make sure our esrogim are not murkav". Yet there is absolutely no proof or reasoning why it's any less murkav than the pure Bonnie Brae breed. As a farmer myself and speaking to those I know, there is no reason to believe this esrog is any less murkav than Bonnie Brae or other free lemons.

"There is no explanation as to why this is any better than a free lemon just the fact that they say so. The many other reason noted on the flyer are also available for free in any lemon farm, whether it is color, shape or texture. I have searched through every possible scenario and as a qualified farmer I don't see any advantages in fact I see many problems and issues with this type of fruit: It has too much skin and not enough flesh.

"This has all the indications of dishonest business. They are trying to sell you a product that is nothing better than one of many free lemons that are available anyway for anyone to harvest or buy at your local supermarket. Most famous being Bonnie Brae. This esrog has all the warning signs. I am sorry that they invested so much for growing these esrogim but that is no excuse to fool the public."

Enough of that. You get the idea. Here are the facts on why VCF is a different breed of filter:

• As the websites states, VCF has "No nisayon (challenge) of holding the password". In plain English that means that as opposed to other free solutions where you can disable the filter at any time with a password, VCF is secure. Opening new sites is done by filling out a request form, and the sites are reviewed by real humans before they are opened. Does K9 or any other free filter do that? 

• Note: You can sign up for K9 with a friend's email address, and have your friend set the password. See here for instruction in case you're interested in doing this. However, you'll need to ask your friend for assistance each time you need a site opened. With VCF you just click a button on the blocked page, and the page will be opened.

• VCF allows you to allow a website, but still automatically block the portions which have problematic content. Does K9 or any other free filter do that?
• VCF allows you to block sites that have a specific frequency, or a combination of keywords (e.g. block any page that has the words search + girls in the URL). Does K9 or any other free filter do that?
• VCF has an optional skin-block feature. Does K9 or any other free filter do that?

This is just a partial list of features in VCF. In the best case, the blog author was not aware of these features when he wrote the post. In the worst case, the blog author is intentionally trying to mislead the public.

As far as the filterthon event, had he bothered to arrive to the event, I'm sure he would retract his post. Everything written on the flyer was 100%, and the conspiracies in his blog post are baseless:

• Volunteer technicians from all over NY gave free advice at the event. The goal of the event was so that people get filters, not to make money. In fact, last year they same organization (Venishmartem) organized a similar event and suggested K9 exclusively (there was nothing better at the time). 
• Each person who came to the event was given an overview of all the available solutions in the market (yes, including K9 and other free software). The volunteers gave professional advice and were not trying to sell any specific service.
• Many people were interested in VCF but said that it is too expensive. These people were given VCF for FREE. (The people who got if for free outnumbered the ones who paid for it).

The bottom line is the this blog seems to be biased against filters, and does not hesitate to write the most outlandish posts whenever Internet filters are involved.

Why pay for a filter?

In the current filter there are a few filters that are completely free, the most prominent example is K9. Other filters on the other hand have a modest or not-so-modest monthly fee.
What a Chutzpa!
Well, actually paid filters and free filters have substantial differences, so it's like comparing apples to oranges. Here are the key reasons why paid filters cost $$$ (Hint: it's not because they want to rip you off).

• Licensing costs: Paid filters generally do not use their own filtering technology, it is too difficult. Instead they license filtering technology from other companies, and then customize it for their customers. For example, Jnet, Meshimer, VCF (Venishmartem Cloud Filter) and NetTzach all license the same technology from Livigent. VCF Basic licenses technology from  Websense. 
• Support: Paid filters give much better support than free filters. (Note: Meshimer gives very extensive support, and that's why their price is higher than VCF.)
• Filter management: Rather than allowing you to open anything instantly during a weak moment, paid filters manage the filter for you and open/close sites that you request. This service adds to the cost as well.

Note: If you can't afford to pay for a "paid filter", but really want the benefits of it, you can fill out this form and request to receive a free license for VCF.

Hidden Filter Benefits

Here's an aspect of internet filtering which is often overlooked. Put simply, a filter can free up many hours of your time to do what you really love.

• Are you a news freak?
• Do you often feel guilty about time wasted online?
• Do ever scratch your head wondering how you spend so many hours of your precious time doing things that will actually give you nothing in return in the long term?
• Do you often tell yourself to stop browsing, but continue browsing anyway?
• Would you feel gratified if you get 5 extra hours of free time a week, to do what you really want?

If the answer is yes, a internet filter may able to do wonders for you. When setting up the filter, you'd enter the websites you waste your time with most, and you'll be locked out of them. (Obviously, this only works with filters that don't let you disable the filter whenever you want...).

About this blog

The purpose of this blog is to give an honest review of the internet filtering solutions currently available, and to start a conversation about the benefits of internet filtering.
Stay tuned...

How to lock your Bios

Follow these steps to prevent a common way of bypassing computer filters.

(Exact wording varies by computer - the following works for most  computers)
As computer is starting (before Windows logo appears) Press F2 (in Dell and most computers / F10 in HP / F1 in Toshiba) numerous times,will enter BIOS (mouse will not work, use keyboard)

STEP 1 – SETUP PASSWORD
Choose SUPERVISOR PASSWORD or SETUP or ADMINISTRATOR (whichever appears)
Do not choose computer password!
CLICK ON ENTER
Type Password
CONTINUE or ENTER or SAVE SETTINGS or LOCK

STEP 2 – COMPUTER SHOULD RETURN TO ORIGINAL BIOS SCREEN
Choose BOOT or ADVANCED BIOS FEATURES or SYSTEM CONFIGURATION (whichever appears) on top row
You will see list – remove** any item with “USB” or “CD ROM”
“EXIT SAVING CHANGES”
(Some computers – first SAVE, then EXIT)

**How to remove varies by computer- choose item and then, either NO BOOT or UNCHECK. (CAUTION: Do not choose DISABLE)

Hamodia on the Venishmartem Cloud Filter (VCF)

‘Filterthon’ Takes Flatbush By Storm
13 SIVAN 5773 MAY 22, 2013

To view the original click here.

What do you get when dozens of talented technicians, concerned community askanim and lay leaders, and a community looking to purify their homes and protect their souls in advance of the holy Yom Tov of Kabbalas HaTorah gather in one tent? Why, a Filterthon!

Well over 1,600 Yidden came through the large tent that was erected outside Khal Veretzky in Flatbush last Sunday with desktop computers, laptops, phones, and other devices in tow, in need of filtering for proper internet usage.

The event, co-sponsored by Hamodia, was arranged by a few concerned activists who feel that the best way to help the community to protect their families is by offering professional-grade filtering solutions for their devices, with the added incentive of bringing the solutions to their doors — in this case outside the shul where thousands come through on a Sunday.

To this end, a large tent was erected on Avenue L, with stations manned by trained technicians, each station geared to different kinds of devices. From 8 a.m. until midnight, they offered solutions and installed many various kinds of filters, according to need.

Hamodia sat down with the people behind Venishmartem, the powerhouse organization behind this Filterthon, the Filterthon in Boro Park one year ago, and hopefully many more as long as one Jewish home still possesses open internet.

“The goal of Venishmartem is to solve the internet problem at its root, by providing effective and easy-to-use filtering solutions for Klal Yisrael.

Venishmartem aims to help tens of thousands of Yidden from all over the world to install effective filtering in the coming years. Venishmartem’s team of technicians researches every existing up-to-date solution for every type of device,” Yaakov, the organization’s founder, told Hamodia.

Venishmartem has since its inception been on the lookout for effective, sophisticated solutions, and after constant experimentation have arrived at the VCF (Venishmartem Cloud Filter) solution, complete with a call center which, for a minimal monthly fee, provides a full and tailored service to each customer. On the heels of their success at the Boro Park event last year, as soon as a sponsor was found for this Flatbush event, they came here.

Yaakov relates one event that expresses the effectiveness of the Filterthon: “One guy came with seven devices! Two laptops, a tablet, a phone, a notebook and two gaming devices... We sat him down with one of our top volunteers who worked with him for over an hour and got all his devices filtered.”

Meanwhile, Yechezkel, a psychologist with addiction counseling training, and his partner at Venishmartem relate his highlight of the day: “A father came in and asserted that in his opinion, filtering isn’t necessary. After a few moments of my sharing a few stories with him, he promptly agreed to filter all his devices,” Yechezkel told Hamodia.

Despite having spent many years in the arena, Yaakov is nevertheless inspired. “It was so inspiring to see how many Yidden from all walks of life came to get protection on their devices.” Yaakov says to the community, “While hundreds came to get filters, thousands of frum Yidden out there still have open internet on their computers and devices.

Many people think that filters will slow down their computers or block them from things they like to do, but this is not necessarily true at all. “The problem is that people are used to not having filters and are therefore afraid of what the filter will do. This whole situation has to change. We must ensure that the coming generation doesn’t even have a question about whether to use internet without a filter. Just like frum families today don’t have a television, it should be understood that no frum person uses unfiltered internet.

“Our children will not be frustrated that the filter blocks the things they like — because they never will have had the experience of using the internet without a filter in the first place. It should become a given for every frum Yid that unfiltered internet is a danger to the very fabric of Jewish life. The next generation of frum Yidden must grow up with the concept of filtered internet as a basic prerequisite to being an erlicher Yid,” he says.

What is their petition to the community? “We need your help!” says Yechezkel, cofounder. “Get in touch with us so we can bring this campaign worldwide, and effect the change that Yaakov speaks of.”

To those who want to answer the call of “Mi laShem eilai,” Yaakov can be contacted at info@filterthon.com or at (646) 600-8100 Ext. 3.

As Rabbi Shain told Hamodia: “One of the reasons for the minhag to eat milchigs on Shavuos is that the utensils of Am Yisrael were rendered treif due to receiving the mitzvah of basar b’chalav at Kabbalas HaTorah. What we saw today was people of all stripes coming to, l’havdil, ‘kasher’ their ‘keilim’ in order to receive the Torah on Shavuos in a more elevated and purified manner.”

As a public service, Venishmartem filter guides are available free of charge, describing the many different types of filters in detail, for many types of devices. There is an accompanying CD that allows you download protection directly, for a computer or laptop. Rabbanim and principals are welcome to call (347) 869-7331.

Flatbush Filterthon featured on Frontpage of Hamodia