SurfWatch

SurfWatch, Inc. was a Los Altos, CA-based company which pioneered the first software that allowed users to block explicit content on the Internet. By disallowing computers from accessing specified sites and by screening for newsgroups likely to contain sexually explicit material, SurfWatch was able to aid parents, educators and employers in preventing access to offensive material from a specific computer. The Apple Macintosh version of SurfWatch 1.0 first shipped in May 1995 and was followed by the Microsoft version in July of the same year.