Introduction to Filtering

Watchdog International specialises in the implementation of a range of filtering technologies to suit different applications. The following is a discussion of the different types of these and their applications, advantages and disadvantages.

Internet filtering is applied to networks and computers to block access to sites deemed inappropriate or illegal. Governments and law enforcement agencies from around the world are working collaboratively to censor material containing images of child sexual abuse.  This involves the blocking of this material on the Internet on a countrywide basis.  Also experiencing growth is the demand for more extensive filtering services by families, businesses, and educational institutions. Various technologies are used to implement this.

There are various technologies being used to filter the Internet however there are two that Watchdog recommends. These are as follows.

For the filtering of Carrier, ISP’s and corporate networks we recommend the use of appliances that use a hybrid BGP and URL filtering [hyperlink to further down page when we talk about how it works] system. These used for blocking small URL lists such as those containing child sexual abuse web sites. An example of this is the NetClean WhiteBox.

Where an ISP wishes to provide filtering services that require much larger URL lists and individual customer profiles we recommend the use of an appliance that uses pass-by filtering.

The main advantage of both of these types of filters over other technologies is the fact that they have no effect on network performance which is a critical requirement for today's high-speed networks.