School enforced a filter on devices- Update, need help...

↑ DrMom ↓

Thu, Mar 16 2023, 6:00 pm

amother OP wrote:

I have two issues.... my phone and laptop. My phone TAG has the pin and they wont give it to my husband the code to put amazon back on. Im going to my parents for shabbos I was going to call TAG from their town to see if they can do the pin for me on my phone. The main issue is my laptop tho

My other issue is my laptop with the filter. I spoke to TAG she told me in order to delete the laptop filter, I have to get permission from the liaison to do it.

What does your husband have to do with this?

amother

↑ OP ↓

Thu, Mar 16 2023, 6:11 pm

amother Mulberry wrote:

What filter did tag put onto your laptop? Mine was a few years ago and I think it was gentech. In any case google the number and call them straight and ask whoever you speak to to take it off. They might say they can't refund but its probably still worth it for you.

About the phone, you can call any tag from anywhere you don't need to wait till you're in the same town. As far as I'm aware it can all be done remotely, I didn't take my phone in when I got everything opened up.

They put gentech on my computer. Gentech wont let me delete it unless Im granted permission from the school first.
How did you delete it?

amother

↑ Ghostwhite

Thu, Mar 16 2023, 6:28 pm

amother OP wrote:

Unless a person has a person they can suggest I go to advice like this isnt so helpful. How am I supposed to find a "Tech savvy" adult? Do u kno anyone?

I'm so sorry. My husband and my sons can all do this so I thought it was pretty common. Do you know any high school boys or young men? Maybe ask them if they know anybody.

Or open the phone book and call an IT company.

amother

↑ OP ↓

Thu, Mar 16 2023, 6:31 pm

amother Ghostwhite wrote:

No im an only child and so is DH
Dont know any teenage boys that would concern me LOL

Does ur dh or son want to fix my phone? lol!
how can they even hack into it... its a 4 digit code. there are million of diff options

amother

Hunter ↓

Thu, Mar 16 2023, 6:39 pm

amother OP wrote:

No im an only child and so is DH
Dont know any teenage boys that would concern me LOL

Does ur dh or son want to fix my phone? lol!
how can they even hack into it... its a 4 digit code. there are million of diff options

Can you back up your phone and do a factory reset?

amother

Darkblue

Thu, Mar 16 2023, 6:42 pm

This is sick. I can't believe grown adults would allow other adults to control them like this. "Oh please, Rabbi, can't I use Amazon??" It's unbelievable. Can you imagine looking at a webpage with a colleague at work and having to explain why there's a person with no skin on a work document? "Oh, sorry, my Rabbi says I can't see skin because it's too sinful." Mortifying. It would make you seem like a child.

amother

↑ Mulberry

Thu, Mar 16 2023, 6:53 pm

amother OP wrote:

They put gentech on my computer. Gentech wont let me delete it unless Im granted permission from the school first.
How did you delete it?

Oh my. That's nuts I'm so sorry. I did this a while ago I guess the schools weren't so savvy at that point. I remember though dh went nuts because it was his work laptop mainly and when he came next day to use it nothing would open. I feel so bad for you.

Why does gentech care what your school says, who paid them you or the school? If you paid then why are they bringing the school into this at all? It's insane. Can you just tell the guy on the phone you have permission?

I still think you should try calling another branch of tag, gentech, or netspark if that's your phone filter. These companies have offices all over the world I doubt the tag person in the uk office for example cares what a flatbush school says. It doesn't hurt to try

And this is why people lie, to all those amothers who are so incredulous how people can lie about these things to the schools. I've learnt my lesson too the hard way and now I just show the school what they want to see and quietly live my life the way I want.

amother

↑ Hunter

Thu, Mar 16 2023, 6:57 pm

amother Mulberry wrote:

I had Netspark on my phone from TAG. It was driving me crazy. I called them up freaking out that an app I needed wasn't working with the filter. I was really losing it on the phone until they finally disabled the filter temporarily to check if it was affecting the app. Not gonna tell you whether I ever turned it back on...
But I don't know if it's a good idea for OP to try freaking out on the phone or not, if it will get back to her school.

↑ Ema of 5

Thu, Mar 16 2023, 6:58 pm

amother OP wrote:

No im an only child and so is DH
Dont know any teenage boys that would concern me LOL

Does ur dh or son want to fix my phone? lol!
how can they even hack into it... its a 4 digit code. there are million of diff options

OP, where do you live? Maybe someone here knows someone there who can help you.

Goldie613

Thu, Mar 16 2023, 8:49 pm

Odd thought - do you think your old filtering company would help you? If you told them you want to turn off your new service and go back to your old one?

I second those who've said to get an amazon tablet - just make sure you can do the work stuff you need on it (youtube videos should work, no clue re the rest).

Got anyone you can borrow a laptop or chromebook from for a few months?

This place sells cheap used laptops if you fit within certain income requirements, maybe that would work for you = https://www.pcsforpeople.org/eligibility/

Unless your child is in the school over the summer, you can hopefully get this turned off in June.

Sorry you are having trouble OP Hug

amother

↑ OP ↓

Thu, Mar 16 2023, 9:41 pm

hi everyone. so I was at my in laws town tonight which is more modern/open minded. I made an appointment with TAG and the man was very nice and understanding. I had him change the association to him so he can make changes for me in the future. bh! I got youtube back on my laptop LOL

I kept gentech since I paid for it for this month. but the guy opened up facebook and instagram and news websites. so I dont know what the diff is with web chaver since I had those websites opened to begin with....ill finish the month with gentech then see how it is and maybe delete it and go back to my old filter. and now the school wont know bh.

as for my phone- he didnt know the code to put amazon and app store back but he reached out to tech support and he'll get the code and ill go next week when im back for shabbos

so bh... one problem solved for now...

what did I learn from this ordeal? maybe im not so frum bc I need amazon and netflix to unwind. and that im not a naive seminary girl anymore falling for this cotton candy internet is assur shpiel...

↑ DrMom

Fri, Mar 17 2023, 5:50 am

amother OP wrote:

what did I learn from this ordeal? maybe im not so frum bc I need amazon and netflix to unwind. and that im not a naive seminary girl anymore falling for this cotton candy internet is assur shpiel...

...and that you should never hand over control of your information access to others.

amother

↑ Antiquewhite

Fri, Mar 17 2023, 9:35 am

amother OP wrote:

What do I do in the future when the school makes up come in and they sit there going through our stuff? I feel like I was a child

You have a second device available for this. Play along nicely, and then do your own thing quietly on the side.