FAQ Friday: “But, I didn’t go to that website!”
People use Covenant Eyes accountability software for a variety of reasons. Some are severely struggling with or addicted to Internet pornography and they want a trusted friend to walk through the recovery process with them. Some have rarely struggled with the temptation to view Internet porn, and they use the software to make sure they never do.
I can imagine the frustration anyone must feel if their accountability partner calls them up and asks them about a high scoring site on their report . . . a site they don’t remember visiting.
When we take calls at the Covenant Eyes office, this is one of the most common comments heard: “But, I didn’t go to that website! Why is it on my report?” This is a great question. If you are a Covenant Eyes accountability partner, it is important for you to understand how to accurately read the report(s) you receive.
How to Read the Report
It is important to understand that when a Covenant Eyes user visits a Web page, the report doesn’t show the overall score for that page alone. Each Internet page is made up of several, perhaps dozens of little parts—text, banners, pictures, ads, stories, video clips, links. Each of these parts has its own separate Web address, its own URL, and each of those addresses receives its own score by our scoring system. If you see a high score on a report, you can find out what “parts” of that page were specifically scored high by looking at the more detailed logs.
For example, my own report reflects that I visited YouTube.com last month (I go there all the time). YouTube appeared in the “Highest Scores” section of my report. Next to site name, youtube.com, I see the high score number. If my accountability partner is concerned about this score, then all he needs to do is click on “youtube.com” in the report to open up the detailed browsing logs. After this is opened, he will be able to see every individual URL that my computer accessed from YouTube, and beside each URL he can see the scores for those URLs, with each high scoring address highlighted.
Inevitably, if I surf the Web, I will likely run into a high scoring addresses, perhaps even something pornographic. Even if my intentions are pure, the page I am viewing may contain an ad, a banner, an image, or a link that has a high score. If I don’t click on that link, then my detailed logs will show a few high scoring hits, showing that I possibly ran into some kind of temptation.
If, however, I had clicked on a high scoring link on YouTube, it would have taken me to a different page, a page with its own links, stories, pictures, and banners, many of which are likely to be scored high. The more I click on these links, the more the detailed report will reflect a greater volume of high scoring hits.
In other words, the detailed reports reflect the temptations we face and the choices we make online.
So, I did go there?
Yes and No.
Yes, each URL on your report was accessed by your computer, even if you weren’t aware of all the URLs on each page you opened.
No, every URL on your report was not something you “clicked on.” When accountability partners understand this about the report, this will make the accountability process much easier.
For more information about how to read the accountability reports, our video tutorials will walk you through each part of the report.
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