looking in computer history

Posted by naomi33 (271 days ago)

I have teenage children and unfortunately need to look in my computer history. I have a Mac computer with a function called private browsing. How can i get past this function? Is this function standard on Macs?
I would really appreciate any advice.
Thanks
Worried Parent

(I am based in Hong Kong)

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Posted by hkkm (268 days ago)

Yes, Private Browsing is standard in Safari on Macs. You can turn it off, but obviously your kids can just turn it back on again.

It may be possible to prevent them from turning Private browsing on by using the Parental Controls built into OS X. I don't have a Mac in front of me so I can't give exact instructions, but basically it allows you to create a user account and restrict what that account can do. The down side of doing this is that you would need to create a separate user account for your kids, and make sure that you don't leave your own account logged in. If you aren't confident doing this yourself you may want to get an IT-nerd friend to give you a hand.

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by tigerbay (265 days ago)

I had a similar problem (not a mac) and I did the same as hkkm suggests.

There is a 'guest account' that anybody can use, but they cannot do anything like install programmes, or change any settings.

My account is password protected and if the thing is left untouched, for more than a preset time, users must log in. The guest account requires no log in.

(I am based in Shanghai)