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PLUCKEYE

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About Pluckeye

What is Pluckeye?

Pluckeye is an powerful Internet content filter, a kind of software that prevents the user from accessing parts of the Internet.

How does it work?

Pluckeye relies on setting the desired filter up and preventing the user to change it until a preset amount of time has passed.

Pluckeye:

  • … doesn’t rely on password protection; rather it uses a delay system for configuration.
  • … can block some content but allow other content from the same webhost (based on Internet media types).
  • … doesn’t come with a prepackaged list of web resources that it should block or allow; configuration is up to the end-user.
  • … blocks all images and videos by default from the Internet.
  • … provides tools such as scheduling, blacklisting and whitelisting (among others).
  • … can run in different enforcement levels.

The delay system

The user has to set a time interval (i.e. delay) in order to Pluckeye prevent any change until said interval has passed.

Example: The user sets an eight hour interval and performs a modification.

  • 00:00hs: The user blocks all images from the internet.
  • 00:30hs: The user sets the delay to 8 hours.
  • 01:00hs: The user allows ok.com to display images.
  • 09:00hs: The site ok.com is now allowed to display images.

Blocking commands will take action immediately (such as blackout and block) and allowing commands will take action after the delay has passed (such as whiteout and allow). The former will override the latter, but not viceversa.

Who it is for?

Pluckeye is for:

  • … those who want a filter for themselves rather than parents looking to protect their kids.
  • … those who aim at inconvenience, rather than convenience.

Mottos

Some mottos of the Pluckeye philosophy:

  • Hooray for inconvenience!
  • It ain’t for wimps.
  • It’s up to you.
  • Do whatever is necessary.
  • You have to want it.
  • Take the bull by the horns.
  • Pluckeye is there to serve you.

Platforms

Pluckeye works on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and Android.

Lockbox

Lockbox is a companion site of Pluckeye. It can save a password (or any text for that matter) and let the user access it only after a preset time has passed (after requesting acces to it).

The user may create a "box" that will save the password, set a delay and set how much time will elapse after the box is closed again once it is opened.

General settings

In order to use Pluckeye effectively, the user has to set a delay time and a level of enforcement, these are the corresponding commands.

  • pluck set "[delay/level] [value]"

Level

  • "level [value]"

Pluckeye can work in several enforcement levels (see the levels page and NHB page for more information). The delay must be set to 0 in order to be applied (which at the same time will depend on the current delay).

Example: pluck set"level 2"

Delay

  • "delay [value]"

Pluckeye relies in the delay system, mentioned above (see the delay page for more information). It uses the s/m/h notation (for seconds/minutes/hours).

Example: Removing the delay.

pluck set"delay 0"

Example: Setting the delay to 90 seconds.

pluck set"delay 90s"

Example: Setting the delay to 90 minutes.

pluck set"delay 90m"

Example: Setting the delay to 90 hours.

pluck set"delay 90h"

Reset to default

  • pluck factoryreset

This command will reset Pluckeye to its factory settings (all images and videos from the internet will be blocked). The delay must be set to 0 in order to be applied (which at the same time will depend on the current delay).

Reset to default manually

In order to reset Pluckeye manually apply the following rules:

  1. Allow
  2. Block :443
  3. Block image/
  4. Allow image/svg+xml
  5. Block video/
  6. Block application/x-shockwave-flash

Save/Load settings

Pluckeye lets the user to save and load the settings.

Export

  • pluck export > [filename]

This command exports the settings to a text file.

Example: cd ~/Desktop && pluck export > pluckeye-settings.txt

Import

  • pluck import [filename]

This command imports the setting from a text file.

Example: cd ~/Desktop && pluck import pluckeye-settings.txt

Uninstall

  • pluck uninstall

The user can uninstall Pluckeye after setting the delay to 0 (which also respects the current delay).

Clear settings

  • pluck clear

This command will erase Pluckeye settings. The delay must be set to 0 in order to be applied (which at the same time will depend on the current delay).

Adding/Removing rules

  • pluck [add/rm] [rule]

The user may add or remove rules according his or her needs.

Allowing/Blocking websites

  • [allow/block] [URL]

Websites can be completely blocked or allowed.

Example: pluck add"block http://my-college.edu/courses"(add restriction of specific part of domain)

Example: pluck add"allow my-college.org"(add permission of whole domain)

Allowing/Blocking programs

Programs can be completely allowed or prevente do access the internet (level 2 must be enaled).

  • [allow/block] program [program]
  • program [program] [whiteout/blackout]

Example: Allow spotify to access the internet.

pluck add"allow program /usr/bin/spotify" (For Linux.)

Also, a program can be whitelisted the following by using the whiteout command:

Example: Whitelist spotify.

pluck add"program /usr/bin/firefox spotify"(For Linux.)

Allowing/Blocking MIME type

Pluckeye can allow block by MIME type (i.e. exe and mp4). The blocking can be applied to a type of media or to a specific type. Here are some examples:

  • Audio files: pluck add "block audio/"
    • MP3 files: pluck add "block audio/mp3"
  • Application files: pluck add block application
    • EXE files: pluck add block application/octet-stream
  • Video files: pluck add block video/
    • MP4 files: pluck add block video/mp4
  • DOC files: pluck add block application/msword
    • DOCX files: pluck add block application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document
  • EXE files: pluck add block

Scheduling

  • "sometimes [value] [rule]"

The user may set a time schedule to apply the rules.

Example: Allow access on Monday through Friday, 10am to 12pm.

pluck add "sometimes MTWRF10-12 allow youtube.com"

Example: Allow access any day from 10am to 12pm.

pluck add "sometimes 10-12 allow youtube.com"

Example: Allow access now for 10 minutes (the delay will still be considered).

pluck add "sometimes now+10m allow youtube.com"

Example: Enable NHB except on Sunday from 11:30 to 12:00.

pluck add "sometimes U0-1130&12-24.MTWRFA0-24 nhb" (If this fails it can be splitted in two separate commands -divided by the & symbol-.)

Initiate blocking rules

  • block

The user may start the rules by using this command (for example after a whiteout).

Example: pluck add"block"

Blackout/Whiteout

Blackout

This command is used to block the whole internet (pages won't load at all) and it will override any other command.

  • blackout

Example: pluck add "sometimes now+10m blackout"

Whiteout

This command will pause any Pluckeye rule (they will stop being applied) and it will override every other command, except a blackout. It will be applied once the delay has passed.

  • whiteout

Example: Set a whiteout for 10 minutes (that will apply once the delay has passed).

pluck add "sometimes now+10m whiteout"

Searching for help

Please perform the following searches before posting an issue.

Use cases

Enable Steam

Enable …

Scheduled Telegram Web blocking

How to schedule a Telegram web blocking (allowing it from 13:30 to 14:30):

  1. pluck add "allow web.telegram.org"
  2. pluck add "block https://telegram.org/apps"
  3. pluck add "sometimes MTWRFA0000-1330 block web.telegram.org"
  4. pluck add "sometimes MTWRFA1430-2130 block web.telegram.org"

Scripting

The user can make scripts in order to run Pluckeye according to the needs.

Other commands (WIP)

  • pluck add nhb
  • pluck add "package plucki"
  • pluck upload
  • pluck repair
  • pluck supplicate
  • pluck abort
  • pluck add "registration [basic/none]"
  • pluck add block audio/
  • pluck noapproval
  • pluck veredicts
  • nochrome
  • nofirefox
  • nosometime
  • registration
  • slowsometime
  • slowunbork

More information

  • https://manual.pluckeye.net/Using-Pluckeye
  • https://www.pluckeye.net/sysinspect.html
  • https://www.pluckeye.net/notation.html
  • https://www.pluckeye.net/levels.html
  • https://manual.pluckeye.net/rule-syntax
  • https://www.pluckeye.net/tips.html
  • https://www.pluckeye.net/faq.html
  • https://www.pluckeye.net/eg.plu
  • https://www.pluckeye.net/recipes/linux/
  • https://www.pluckeye.net/sysinspect.html
  • https://www.pluckeye.net/eg.plu

Useful links

  • Syntax
  • Manual: https://manual.pluckeye.net/Using-Pluckeye
  • https://www.pluckeye.net/notation.html
  • https://www.pluckeye.net/levels.html
  • https://manual.pluckeye.net/rule-syntax
  • https://www.pluckeye.net/tips.html
  • https://www.pluckeye.net/faq.html
  • https://www.pluckeye.net/eg.plu
  • https://www.pluckeye.net/recipes/linux/https://www.pluckeye.net/sysinspect.html
  • https://www.pluckeye.net/sysinspect.htmlrch.org` (to restrict whole domain)
  • http://filters.pluckeye.net/
  • http://uservoice.pluckeye.net/