Accountability software
Accountability software, or shameware,surveillance software that records the user's Internet activity and reports it to another person, often called an accountability partner. This person is often, but not necessarily, an authority figure, such as a parent, teacher, spouse or religious leader.[2] 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.[1]
Accountability software typically functions by continuously making
content-control software
.
As of 2022, a "multimillion-dollar ecosystem"X3watch (for Windows and Mac OS).
Most of these products implement a "
US$4 million in 2008, from around 56,000 subscriptions.[5] Following a Wired report in 2022, Google removed Covenant Eyes and Accountable2You from the Google Play store because these apps used accessibility functionalities for surveillance purposes in a manner prohibited by Google,[1] but Covenant Eyes was later reinstated.[6]
See also
- Content-control software
- Employee monitoring
- Employee monitoring software
- Comparison of content-control software and providers (incl. parental control software)
- Opposition to pornography
- Parental controls
- Pornography addiction
- Sexaholics Anonymous
References
- ^ ISSN 1059-1028.
- ^ Leland, John (2 May 2010). "Church Counsels Women Addicted to Pornography". New York Times. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023.
- S2CID 55379595.
These tools are especially popular with religious groups and families.
- ^ Talley, Scott (14 November 2021). "Accountability company's mission is unique. So is its employee-friendly nature". Detroit Free Press.
- ^ Ronald DeHaas (CEO) (21 July 2007). "Technology Submission to Internet Safety Technical Task Force at Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University" (PDF). Covenant Eyes, Inc.
- ^ Gabbatt, Adam (6 November 2023). "Mike Johnson says in resurfaced video he uses app that helps people 'quit porn'". The Guardian.