Glubble FireFox Add-on: It's Not Safe for Kids

Glubble is a FireFox add-on which claims to include only approved web sites, and safe web searching on Yahoo! and Google.

Glubble for FireFox is only half-safe.

Let me explain.

My Career Experience with Safe Content Databases for Kids

As a former Project Manager for a subscription-based K-12 database for school libraries, I know how long it can take to find authoritative, reliable, age-appropriate and safe content for kids under 12. I spent 40-50 hours a week for a year and a half, doing just that.

Without revealing too much proprietary information, our product for school libraries started with a selection of hand-picked and reviewed web sites. Each web site was examined and evaluated meticulously.

A proprietary filtering system flagged when the web sites changed, when they were again viewed by human eyes.

Another level of the proprietary filtering system looked for certain "red flag" words. The editorial staff decided when it was okay for these red flag words to appear on certain web sites. For example, the term "sex" would appear on sites about animals or human health.

A determination was made about each red flag word for each web site in the database.

The product was not a filtering system, but instead a searchable microscopic portion of web sites online that we deemed appropriate.

What is Glubble?

Similarly, Glubble for FireFox is not a filtering system. It is a free web tool, in the form of a Firefox add-on, that parents can install on their computers, for free, that presents kids under 12 with "safe content."

It combines hand-picked web sites, with the social community of parents, and unlike pure filtering programs which can cost parents money, Glubble for FireFox enables parents to approve and add links that they deem safe for their kids.

Also, parents can add domains to their approved web site list that other parents have selected.

Glubble for FireFox: The Very, Very Bad

There is one huge problem with Glubble for Firefox. They included search boxes for Yahoo! and Google.

Glubble for FireFox claims that only safe search results will appear.