Content Filtering 101
Not all web filters are created equal. Different types of filters operate at different levels on your network, all the way from protecting all internet traffic (with less control) to only protecting a specific browser on your computer. The best possible protection for your home internet connection will involve multiple levels of filtering working in tandem across all your devices and connections.
There are 5 levels of web content filters as follows:
DNS Filters
Router Filters
Operating System (OS) Filters
App based filters
Browser based filters’
Below is a more detailed explanation of the scope of each of these filter levels, with examples of each:
Level 1: DNS Filters
Scope: All internet traffic going through your network will be filtered. Search engines may be forced to use ‘safe search’. The filtering may not be customizable but will provide a broad high level of protection from inappropriate adult web content.
Examples:
Importance: High. DNS filtering is a must have because it offers broad protection for all devices on your Wi-Fi. It will not help if internet is access via a mobile network. It requires you to have admin access to your router (which likely means you need to own the router, rather than renting it from your internet company)
Level 2: Router based filtering
Scope: Each Wi-Fi network your router broadcasts (e.g. guest and main networks) can have different levels of filtering applied, with different types of content blocked. Filtering can be on the whole Wi-fi network and may be customizable by device. It may be possible to whitelist or blacklist specific sites.
Examples:
Important: Medium. If you have DNS filtering, router filtering is optional. The main reason you would have it as well, is if you need a different level of filtering for devices used by adults vs children, or on a guest vs a main Wi-Fi network. Some routers charge for this service, but not all (e.g. Synology does not).
Level 3: OS Level Filtering
Scope: Many operating systems allow a broad level of filtering. This filtering applies just to the specific device, regardless of which Wi-Fi connection it may be using. The scope may limited to specific supported apps on the OS, and so is usually not sufficient alone.
Examples:
Importance: Low. OS filtering is only for one device at a time. It often has limits that mean it doesn’t work consistently. (E.g. Apple content filtering works best with Safari, but not consistently with other browsers). An advantage is that it keeps working even if you take your device to another Wi-Fi network.
Level 4: Filtering and accountability apps
There are apps available (to be installed on your devices) which offer either filtering, accountability, or both. Some apps work on multiple devices, or operating systems. Like OS filtering, the app will work on the devices on which it is installed, regardless of which wi-fi network is being used. Often these apps are not free. But they do work across multiple locations, so are good for portable devices, in addition to other levels of filtering.
Examples:
Covenant Eyes - Accountability
Ever Accountable - Accountability
Bark App - Filtering
Family Keeper - Filtering
Importance: High. A good filtering and/or accountability app will work across all applications on your device, and on every Wi-Fi network or internet connection your device uses. It is essential for mobile devices to be protected whatever their location. And accountability provides a much higher motivation to stay pure than filtering alone.
Level 5: Browser based filtering
Browers may have extensions for blocking ads and filtering content. Such an extension would need to be installed on each and every browser on each of your devices. The main advantage is that it is more customizable, in that you may be able to filter just parts of websites, rather than the entire site. But this is also the least broad line of defense - since it only applies to a specific browser, and not your entire device.
Examples:
Importance: Low. Only works on one browser at a time. Consider it a last line of defense.
Conclusion:
Some online protection is better than nothing! At minimum set up DNS filtering on your router (we recommend OpenDNS), and also purchase and setup an app for filtering and/or accountability. Ideally set up some of the other levels as well. We’d love to help you set all this up! We can even provide you a pre-configured router with DNS protection (Level 1) and router level filtering (Level 2) already set up and ready to go!