Content Filtering

As an educational resource the internet has been revolutionary, providing both students and teachers with instant access to a boundless supply of information. However, not all internet content is appropriate within a school environment.

Determining what is inappropriate is relatively easy. What is not so easy is separating the appropriate content from the inappropriate within the same website. For example, youtube may have information that is highly relevant to the school curriculum while at the same time carrying content that is totally inappropriate for students to access.

Traditional ‘blacklist’ filter systems operate by blocking access to the whole website, but in doing so they effectively render all information on the site to be inappropriate, which may not be the case.

To address this problem Connexus developed a far more intelligent content filtering system for the Connexus School Network which moves beyond blocking whole websites or domains.

Connexus engineers developed a system which scans the content of each page in real-time looking for patterns of inappropriate material. In this way the Connexus system determines on a page-by-page basis what is made available to the student.

The Connexus content filtering solution provides the following benefits:

• Schools do not have to indiscriminately block entire domains to get rid of a few offending pages;
• All websites, both new and old, are scanned in the same way. (‘Blacklist’ systems must be constantly updated.);
• Schools retain full override control to allow or exclude any website;
• The system continuously updates a transparent list of known inappropriate sites;
• The system is configurable on a year level basis;
• The system can limit access to students who have abused their internet privileges;
• Detailed reporting is available down to individual student search query level.

Content filtering is one of the key features of the Connexus School Network and brings peace of mind to the school’s administration and teaching staff as well as parents and the wider school community regarding internet usage within the school.

To find out more about content filtering, click here.