Web Filtering
Restricting the websites a user can visit on a computer is done through content control software such as web filters.
Web filters look at the accessed website’s URL and search through its content for restricted keywords, deciding whether to allow or block the connection.
Web filters can be installed as a browser extension, as standalone programs on computers, as part of an overall security solution, or they can be installed on the network side by an ISP or business in order to restrict Web access of multiple users at once.
Even some search engines use rudimentary filters that give users the possibility to remove undesirable pages from search results.
Web filters are commonly used to prevent children from accessing content that their parents consider inappropriate or undesirable, prevent employees of various businesses from accessing websites that do not pertain to their jobs.
Prevent malware infiltration by blocking access to sites that are known to host malware (e.g.: pornography and gambling sites), block information that is sent over the Internet to secure sensitive data (through advanced filters).
