Frequently Asked Questions
YU Arevim
I don't have a problem with Internet usage. Should I sign up for Arevim?
Are there any fees for signing up for this program?
Does Arevim make any profit from the program?
Is Arevim intended for men or women? Single or married?
The Buddy System
How do I choose a buddy? How many buddies can I have?
Does my buddy have to sign up for Arevim?
What happens if I have something private, but legitimate, to look up?
What happens if I get an inappropriate popup?
I'm still not comfortable with this whole buddy system. What should I do?
The Program (Covenant Eyes)
Is the program secure? Is it private? Can anyone see my online activity?
I'm still uncomfortable with my browsing activity being sent over the Internet. What can I do?
I heard that Covenant Eyes is created / funded / run by the Christian Church. Is this true?
Can the program be circumvented?
What if the automatic scorer gives a harmless site a high score?
Can I install the program on YU library computers?
YU Arevim
I don't have a problem with Internet usage. Should I sign up for Arevim?
Our Sages tell us not to trust ourselves until the day of our death (אבות ב:ד). a, "אל תאמן בעצמך עד יום מותך"-don't trust yourself until the day of your death. For such a painful and dangerous problem, it's definitely worth it to sign up for an easy and convenient solution, one that allows normal and safe Internet usage.
How many of our users have issues, and how many are just trying to ensure that they don’t develop an issue? We have no idea--most of our users don’t tell us why they’re signing up.
As an added bonus, as more people sign up, it will become more popular, making it more likely that the people who really need it will join as well.
Are there any fees for signing up for this program?
Generally speaking, no. See this page for details and restrictions.
Does Arevim make any profit from the program?
Absolutely not. Arevim was organized for the sole purpose of reducing the cost of monitoring software for YU students, in order to provide easy and convenient Internet shmirah. Although individual users pay $7.99 per month, Arevim users pay $2.00 per month at most, and are usually free. (See yuarevim.weebly.com/free.html. The filter is also discounted comparably.) Arevim makes absolutely no profit and is run entirely by volunteers.
Is Arevim intended for men or women? Single or married?
Arevim is intended for anybody who would benefit from it. If you’re interested in the statistics of our past user base, here they are: As of the time of this writing, we have many more men than women. About half of our members are single and half are married. Of the single subscribers, about half continue with the service after they get married. Of the married subscribers, about half choose to have their wives receive their reports.
The Buddy System
How do I choose a buddy? How many buddies can I have?
You should find somebody whom you trust, who cares about you, and who can comfortably talk with you if something comes up. It can be a friend, relative, teacher, rabbi, or anyone. Some people prefer people they know well, because they don’t care if such a person sees their (appropriate) personal Internet activity. Others prefer more distant friends, which might be more comfortable, or might cause someone to think twice before clicking. In the past, our members have chosen friends, siblings, parents, wives, sganei mashgichim, and rabbis. (Of our married members, about half choose their wives as buddies.) You can have as many buddies as you want. Also see the next question.
Does my buddy have to sign up for Arevim?
Not at all. All your buddy needs is an Internet connection and an email address (available for free from companies such as Gmail and Yahoo).
What happens if I have something private, but legitimate, to look up?
We suggest using library computers, which are situated in a sufficiently public location for Internet safety, but private enough to research personal matters.
What happens if I get an inappropriate popup?
Don't worry about it. If one or two sites occasionally come up in the weekly Accountability Report, it's usually not a cause for concern, and your buddy will realize that.
Nonetheless, it's a good idea anyway to get a pop-up blocker. If your Internet browser doesn't come with one (many do), try Google Toolbar, which includes a popup blocker. If you have Firefox or Google Chrome, you can block even non-popup advertisements with Adblock Plus (available for Firefox at https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1865 and for Chrome at https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/gighmmpiobklfepjocnamgkkbiglidom).
I'm still not comfortable with this whole buddy system. What should I do?
A filter is available; see our Shmira Options page for details.
The Program (Covenant Eyes)
Is the program secure? Is it private? Can anyone see my online activity?
The Covenant Eyes privacy policy is available on their website. Basically, Covenant Eyes promises that they will not look at your Accountability Report without your permission. Additionally, Covenant Eyes permanently and irretrievably deletes all browsing logs older than 30 days.
I'm still uncomfortable with my browsing activity being sent over the Internet. What can I do?
You can try signing up with an anonymous email known only to your buddy, so nobody except you and your buddy can know anything about your Internet usage. However, you will have to confirm your status as a YU student to be eligible for the free service.
I heard that Covenant Eyes is created / funded / run by the Christian Church. Is this true?
Absolutely not. It is a for-profit company, unaffiliated with any Christian organization. Many of their employees, but not all, are religious Christians, which is the largest demographic sensitive to the need for responsible Internet usage. However, our users rarely speak to any CE workers, and on the rare occasions they do, the employees certainly don't preach religious sentiments. As one prominent Rosh Yeshiva put it, "Just as there's no problem buying a car from a Christian, there's nothing wrong with getting this service from a Christian."
Does the program work on Mac?
Yes--Covenant Eyes works on Windows, Mac, Windows Mobile, iPhone, and Android. If you’re using it on a mobile device, you should read the installation instructions available on their website. As of April 2013, their filter is also available for Mac.
Is the program hard to use?
Not at all. You don't have to touch anything after you install it--it even logs in automatically.
Can the program be circumvented?
No. Covenant Eyes uses the best technology to make sure it cannot be uninstalled, circumvented, or otherwise gotten around without letting someone's buddy know, no matter how familiar someone is with computers. See their website for details.
What if the automatic scorer gives a harmless site a high score?
If this ever happens, you can request a score change from Covenant Eyes in the Member Center. They're quite helpful in taking care of it. And of course your buddy will understand that it is an innocuous site--a major advantage of the buddy system over filtering.
Can I install the program on library computers?
Unfortunately, no. If there's sufficient interest in this, we can contact Academic Computing and attempt to work something out, so let us know if you would like this feature. However, the library computers are situated in a sufficiently public location that in most cases, there's nothing to worry about.
Any other questions? Email us!
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