What is the difference between "allow" and "ignore"
July 19, 2011 • Customer Services
Synopsis
What is the difference between "allow" and "ignore" options in CensorNet filtering policies?
Article
Filter modules in CensorNet generally have rules which can be set to either "Allow", "Ignore" or "Block". This article explains what each ones means:
Allow - If the rule is matched then allow the request. No other filtering will take place after this match has been made. Ignore - If the rule is matched then don't trigger this filter module but instead pass the request on to the next in line (see below) Block - If the rule is matched then block the request. No other filtering will take place and the user will receive an Access Denied page.
Filter modules - the order in which they are triggered
There are 8 filter modules used in CensorNet and they are triggered in the following order when a request for a web site is received by the proxy:
1. Filter Bypass - this module is a global override for all other modules. If the request is matched in the Filter Bypass it will be allowed, no authentication will take place and no other filter modules will be triggered. You should use this module with care and only use it to bypass trusted web sites or applications. Note: this module has an explicit "Allow" function - it can never be set to "Block" or "Ignore".
2. Redirect module - if a match is made the module will redirect the request from one URL to another. Options are "Enable" or "Disable" for each entry. "Disable" means "Ignore".
3. Custom URL module - if a match is made the module will either "Allow" the URL and no further filtering will take place, "Block" the URL in which case an Access Denied page will be displayed and no further filtering will take place or "Ignore" the URL in which case no action will be taken and it will be passed on to the next module in the list.
4. "Content Classifier" - same behaviour as "Custom URL"
5. "File Extension Filter" - same behaviour as "Custom URL"
6. "MIME Type Filter" - same behaviour as "Custom URL"
7. "Active Image Control" - if the request has not been matched by any of the above modules by now, if the image filter is set to "Low" or "High" it will attempt to filter the image content on the page, removing any unsuitable images.
8. "Upload Filter" - this module is unlike all the others as it is checking for uploaded content rather than downloaded content. Therefore it is triggered last and only if no matches have been made in modules 3 to 6.
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