Google Images Accessible with Google Account

[CAM]

Just had a chat with the network manager where we got on to the topic of filtering. He pointed out that the LA firewall we use allows users to access Google Images if they log in with a Google Account.

 

A quick test later shows that this does indeed work further reinforced by what I thought would be an innocent test search of "stuff" returning some questionable results (one to check the filters for!).

 

Since we go through the LA firewall and they claim they can't do anything about it, is there any way that we can use AD to block Image Search when logged in without affecting other services like Calendar and Drive? Play and Plus are already blocked but they reside on seperate subdomains on the Google site.

[enjay]

Your issue is potentially that, once signed in to Google, users have the option to specify the level of Safe Search to apply. If that is the case, you might be able to block the &safesearch=off string in the search URL.

[plexer]

The filtering solution has to be accredited and if it is not working correctly they need to sort.

 

Accredited by who?

 

Ben

[nile_c]

It sounds to me like Google is transferring signed-in users onto an HTTPS connection. What's the situation with the LA filter and secure sites?

 

If the issue is HTTPS, you could look into the NoSSLsearch option provided by Google. This causes Google search to revert to plain ol' HTTP connections. Obviously it's no help for the rest of the web :-)

[rad]

See here http://www.edugeek.net/forums/london-grid-learning-lgfl/104868-children-your-school-can-access-porn-images-under-lgfl-filtering.html

 

As discussed on the London Grid for Learning forum.

[Nodrog]

I believe you have several problems here starting with going https as you log onto google which immediately bypasses filtering UNLESS your un-packing the ssl data like a smoothwall firewall.

 

Other things you can do is fix your dns so that you never go to their https engines and so your filtering will work.

 

Atomwide Managed Services — HTTPS searching with Google

 

Atomwide has a product that strips apart https and will allow you to filter everything but then you need to work out how your head log's into his or her bank web site because I bet they don't want you decrypting their data !!

 

Don't rely upon Google to always enforce your desired config in terms of safesearch and NoSSLsearch.

 

In short no filter system is impossible to bypass.