Enforce Google SafeSearch

[Ryan]

Had a dig through Google and here, and have yet to get a definitive solution.

 

Is there a way to enforce Google's SafeSearch (to strict) remotely or centrally? There seems to be a couple of options from what i've read so far:

 

- Append "&safe=strict" to web requests

- Copy a cookie with settings into profiles

 

Using ISA Server 2006 if that helps.

 

I'm not gonna cry if it can be changed by the kids, as long as it's on by default - they'll eventually get bored of constantly changing it. If it can be locked down - bonus!

[powdarrmonkey]

We have a mandatory profile with no cookies in it, and then safe search is on by default.

[Ryan]

Roaming profiles here

[Michael]

You can have a roaming mandatory profile you know

[elsiegee40]

As earlier post. We have a single roaming mandatory profile shared by all the kids.

 

Strict safe search was set up when I built the profile and will be there every time they logon.

 

I can't stop them from reducing the level after they logon, I think, but as we've got primary age kids, they don't bother! If they did, it would all be wiped next time they logon.

[Jona]

Could you use some form of url re-writing / forwarding. To append "&safe=on" to the end of any google search strings?

 

Cheers

Jona

[Ryan]

@ Jona: As per original post, i'm aware that that's an option, but am unsure as yet as to how i go about doing so.

 

@ elsie: Mandatory profiles may have to get looked at. Not specifically for this, but in the grand scheme of things.

[Geoff]

I rewrite the urls on the proxy so Safesearch is enforced. I do this with SquidGuard. The url rewrite rules are as follows.

 

Force Google image searches to be normal searches.

 

rewrite google_imagesearch {
  s@http://images.google.com/images?@http://www.google.com/search@ir
  s@http://images.google.co.uk/images?@http://www.google.co.uk/search@ir
}

 

Enable SafeSearch

 

rewrite google_imagesearch {
 s@http://images.google.com/images?@http://images.google.com/images?safe=images&@ir   s@http://images.google.co.uk/images?@http://images.google.co.uk/images?safe=images&@ir
}

 

Enable SafeSearch in Strict mode

 

rewrite google_imagesearch {
 s@http://images.google.com/images?@http://images.google.com/images?safe=on&@ir
 s@http://images.google.co.uk/images?@http://images.google.co.uk/images?safe=on&@ir
}

 

 

Use one of the above, then alter your default acl.

 

eg,

 

acl {

  default {
      rewrite google_imagesearch
      pass local-ok !local-block !ads !aggressive !drugs !gambling !hacking !porn !proxy !violence !warez all
  }
}

[TechMonkey]

We have banned the string that sets safeSearch to be off so they can't actually set it to off. Then reset profiles so they revert to the default safeSearch option.

[chrbb]

We have a designated home page with useful links on including google safe search, the children then search from the box on the home page, even if they click on the google logo it takes them to safe search.

They could bypass this by typing in google in the address bar but not had any problems so far probably because they don't realise that google safe search is on!

[cjohnsonuk]

We use dans guardian to rewrite the urls using regular expression (does all our other filtering too and is used by our lea). They can't bypass it .

[rrichmond]

We have actually banned all image searches using google. From my experience, it is to hard to guarantee that you can stop all inappropriate images coming through.

 

The school feels it better to ban these types of searches and instead to allow searchs of more appropriate image galleries.

 

Whilst we cannot stop all images coming through, we have made a concerted effort to help prevent it, which is important to show parents.

 

This in conjunction with keyword filters, using squidguard always helps.

[Ryan]

I'm not quite ready ban Google images outright yet (i can hear the clang of the pitchforks at the mere thought of that). I've been toying with a custom start page for a while, which might be a cheeky way of doing it...

[powdarrmonkey]

Roaming profiles here

 

Then use group policy to stop the Cookies folder in the profile being saved back to the server. Users will get no cookies from their last session so safe search will be on by default.

[elsiegee40]

Then use group policy to stop the Cookies folder in the profile being saved back to the server. Users will get no cookies from their last session so safe search will be on by default.

 

 

Can someone give the patth for this, it could solve a few problems here (like deleting Cookies on a regular basis!

[powdarrmonkey]

It's in "User Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\Logon/Logoff\Exclude Directories in Roaming Profile" IIRC.

[Ryan]

... with useful links on including google safe search,

Just re-read this thread - How do you link to this chrbb? May be very useful.

[mrcrazy04]

An undocumented feature of Google which E2BN use on their web filters is "Very Safe Search" - I believe the querystring for that is &safe=vss - apparently that works pretty well on image searches.

[chrbb]

Oddly I now can't find the google page that you copy and paste the html from, but this is from my website, hope it helps!

 

http://www.google.com/logos/Google_Safe.gif border="0" ALT="Google" width="115" height="45" align="absmiddle">

Edited March 18, 2008 by chrbb

[Ryan]

Just had a little try of this (http://www.google.com/search?safe=vss), doesn't worky i'm afraid. Doesn't seem to use safesearch at all

[Ryan]

Appending "&safe=vss" to search results works nice, but as per my original post, i still know of no easy/cheap way of appending this to users' searches.

[chrbb]

Heres a link to my website with safe search on

 

http://www.oakwoodjuniorschool.co.uk/linkshelp.html

 

There is a google page somewhere that gives you the html to put it on your own website but can't find it now.

[Ryan]

Ahaa, http://www.google.com/search?safe=vss

 

Seems to work well. Next step would be to block the page that lets you change it, and redirect Google to the above URL. Shall have a crack at that today hopefully. Thanks!

[rpycroft]

I have just set up an automatic forwarding rule in ISA 2004 that says whenever they try and go to:

 

images.google.co.uk/advanced_image_search

images.google.com/advanced_image_search

images.google.com/preferences

Preferences

Google Advanced Image Search

Preferences

 

they get redirected to:

 

Google

 

Which I think is the default google homepage (this is the same rule I use to stop them getting to iGoogle to (which, handily, I found on this forum too!))

 

Cheers.

[dhicks]

I rewrite the urls on the proxy so Safesearch is enforced. I do this with SquidGuard. The url rewrite rules are as follows.

 

Just found this thread, must have missed it before. Perfect, does exactly what I want, saves me having to look stuff up in the SquidGuard manual!

 

--

David Hicks