Network Security - Internet Content Filtering Primer
Lots of companies employ some sort of Internet firewall, but schools have a unique obligation to provide more extensive Internet content filtering on their student-use workstations. Content filtering can be applied in a variety of methodologies, and most content filtering technologies use a combination of multiple methodologies. Content filtering may be used to block access to pornography, games, shopping, advertising, email/chat, or file transfers, or to Websites that provide information about hatred/intolerance, weapons, drugs, gambling, etc. The simplest method of providing content filtering is to specify a blacklist. A blacklist is nothing more than a list of domains, URLs, filenames, or extensions that the content filter is to block. If the domain Playboy.com was blacklisted, for example, access to that entire domain would be blocked, including any subdomains or subfolders. In the case of a blacklisted URL, such as, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recreational_drug_use, other pages of...