Web filters

How can an educational institution have a web filter? Why is it blocking sites like ESPN.com. It is blocking the ads on here, blocking ads on google.com, etc. WTF. I'm at a regioinal campus in the library trying to browse the net but I also need to do some research on my theory paper. I'm doing it on how social networks in a workplace could be very beneficial etc, etc, etc. But anything that google brings up on social networks I can't open the site because it is blocked as well......

Just use a proxy address.

Go to aliveproxy.com and get a port 80 proxy, then set that as your proxy server in IE's settings or get FoxyProxy for Firefox and use that.

Unless they do packet inspection, and they probably don't, that'll work.

Websense will do packet inspections now on most applications. I can't even "Help Menu" out of the system anymore without it chasing me down.

I couldn't GMail for the hospital because it was line blocked by the IT guys.

WebNAZIs make me sad.

lol......good luck.

If setup properly, a filter will not allow proxies.

If you think that's bad, try operating with a whitelist of about 10 web sites. I can't do anything from work.

I can expect work and E36 M3, but an educational institution.....

Well, think of it this way, they probably feel that browsing social networking sites in the library is not the best use of your time.

Since you have a valid reason, you can sometimes get temporary exemption for your account. It doesn't hurt to ask.

Well this regional campus is at a community college, but they haven't had a filter until the past few weeks. I've been to FAU and UF and never encountered such a thing, UCF main campus also has no filters. I mean I can't even check out the latest BCS rankings...what the hell is that? Not everyone has homework to do at all times in between classes, some people like to relax during that time period. Getting a warning you can't go there is quite frustrating. I shouldn't have to get an "exemption" every time I want to casually browse the web in in between classes.

Nazi's I tell you, O...E36 M3 is already happening.

Um, yeah get used to it. You're using their internet connectivity, which they pay good money for and since some schools have gotten huge bills thanks to students who abused the system, many are gun-shy about letting the internet flow unrestricted into their systems....

Think about how many calls their service people have to deal with when people get viruses on their machines. Can you imagine with some of the socially immature students that are potentially at school who possess the knowledge to severely impact other people's computers?

Don't like it? Do what those of us in the real-world (you know those who work for a living) have to do which is wait until we get home or if we're lucky browse where we can at work during breaks.

Like I said, if you're doing research for a school project (much like I have to do sometimes when researching something) get an exemption to go around the problem to get what you need. You're at their BBQ, just because you brought beer, doesn't mean you can reach into their fridge and grab one of their beers, always ask first.

Nazis take from you something that is yours or that you have a right to.

You are demanding someone else pay for something so you can use it for free.

Were you actually working on research on ESPN.com?

On what basis do you feel such entitlement?

Last time I checked, most educational institutions are for-profit businesses. I think they have a right to protect the integrity of the systems they have spent millions on.

Ask for permission, and stop complaining. Be thankful you have such an incredible resource available to you. Oh, and that you don't live in China where half the sites wouldn't even exist.

-signed someone who used a manual typewriter and the card catalog throughout my college career.

(rant over)

fiat - So I don't work for a living? I don't pay to go to this school? I bust my ass at work to pay for school and everything else I have in my life so I can have a better life for myself in the future. Don't act like I'm a spoiled little E36 M3, get over yourself you douchebag.

SV - who the f' shat in your cheerios. It was a post of frustration. If you haven't gotten the memo...Nazi is used pretty loosely nowadays Example: soup nazi, "That woman is a cleaning nazi." and so on. I PAY MONEY TO GO THERE, IF I WANT TO BROWSE ESPN ON MY DOWN TIME I SHOULD BE ABLE TO. Every other mother f'ing educational institution I have attended has never had a filter and for good reason...the students are the ones who pay to keep their BS running. God you f'ing people on here piss me the f' off sometimes. /rant

I heard your frustration.

Did you hear mine?

.....and that is exactly the reaction I was expecting.

Look, I've nearly lost a job to too much browsing of the internet and I'm a server admin (who are usually considered above the law in those cases) so I have a lot of experience to draw on from both sides of the fence.

My post was written tongue-in-cheek. I'm sorry that didn't come across.

Here's the point, you cannot have unrestricted internet access anymore. It is simply dangerous. Recently at the Hospital I'm working at we had a virus outbreak. The source was an open DSL line that was only to be used by specific machines for testing purposes. Instead what happened was that some manager bought a wireless SoHo router and plugged it into this DSL connection. Not a big deal right? Um, yeah well I and the rest of our IS folks just spent the last week cleaning up viruses on thousands of machines (that were behind firewalls and web filters) no thanks to the unprotected machines.

This same hospital also had to restrict access to youtube and other video sites because of the amount of bandwidth being consumed by the users watching movies (oddly Hulu isn't blocked yet) The amount of acrimony was amazing. In the end, the business had to what was best for their patients (and the ability to transfer data between hospitals and other institutions)

So, birdy, your point is that you're not some immature E36 M3head? Yeah, that came through loud and clear.

Let's play nicely, folks.

Margie

edit: And if you guys are going back and forth all in fun and I missed it because this lousy cold has stolen away any trace of my sense of humor, then I'm sorry.

I was cranky yesterday I'm sorry if I offended anyone. I had just also found out we weren't getting our x-mas bonuses at work anymore. You guys do take some E36 M3 way to literally sometimes though. Reminds me of the hybrid owners on that south park episode, where you are so smug that you enjoy the smell of your own farts....yeaaaa you would prolly get a kick out of Brazilian fart porn.

Maybe schools lock down their internet to protect the rest of us from this kind of E36 M3e.

Margie

Why the hell did I come in here?