Website Filtering

The Internet is a wealth of helpful resources and fun diversions, but it also contains many threats and much unwelcome content which can sometimes be difficult to avoid. To help protect our community, IT employs a website filtering service on Biola’s internet connection using Websense.

How Websense Works

Websense is a service that analyzes website content and classifies sites into categories that best describe them. Biola IT then blocks a subset of these categories that have been deemed inappropriate for our community based on our code of conduct and community standards. Our local Websense installation works in conjuction with the database maintained by the Websense corporation. Based on the categories of websites not fit for viewing, Websense does the rest to keep the databases current and filter any new internet risks that arise.

Filtering Categories

Here are the Websense categories Biola currently selects as inappropriate.

Adult Material (Adult Content, Lingerie and Swimsuit, Nudity, Sex)
Gambling
Gay or Lesbian or Bisexual Interest
Illegal or Questionable
P2P File Sharing
Proxy Avoidance
Racism and Hate
Tasteless
Violence
User Defined (a category for manual entries managed by IT)

Suggest A Filter Change

Sometimes websites are incorrectly categorized by Websense. In some cases inappropriate content is not categorized as such and is accessible for viewing. In other cases appropriate content is not categorized as such and is blocked for viewing. If either case should happen, you can request to have the website evaluated for reclassification. Contact the IT Helpdesk with the website address in question and the reason you believe it should be placed in a new category. The site will be evaluated for inappropriate content, and if it has been incorrectly classified it will be corrected.