Why is Safe Surfer not blocking inappropriate content on a specific app or website?
Safe Surfer filtering by default will perform the following two steps:
Enforcing SafeSearch filtering on as many search engines as possible. For example, if a protected device searches for "porn" in Google, it will hide explicit results from coming up (that is, only legitimate results regarding the search term "porn" will appear, such as journal articles and educational resources). This is also meant to apply to image results wherever possible. We have separate filter settings available for YouTube on the Blocking menu.
In addition to SafeSearch filtering, we also block porn websites themselves. This means that if a protected device attempts to visit a porn website, we stop it from talking to that website in the first place.
We support enforcing SafeSearch filtering for the following search engines:
✅ Bing
✅ Brave Search
✅ DuckDuckGo
✅ Ecosia
✅ Google
✅ Qwant
✅ Yandex
In addition, we support blocking search engines that currently don't support enforcing SafeSearch under the "Unsafe search engines" category on the Blocking menu.
It's good to keep in mind that SafeSearch systems are automated, which means that they aren't 100% accurate. It's a good idea to perform physical monitoring, in addition to having a dedicated area for using devices at home.
We also support filtering content within apps wherever possible. Due to how computer networking works, Safe Surfer cannot pull inappropriate content out of websites and apps, which is why we support blocking a wide range of websites and apps. Although, it is possible for us to remove inappropriate content if a service (such as a social media app) provides us with networking tools to enforce this. We're working to get more apps and services to support filter locking through computer networking:
Enforcing SafeSearch filtering on as many search engines as possible. For example, if a protected device searches for "porn" in Google, it will hide explicit results from coming up (that is, only legitimate results regarding the search term "porn" will appear, such as journal articles and educational resources). This is also meant to apply to image results wherever possible. We have separate filter settings available for YouTube on the Blocking menu.
In addition to SafeSearch filtering, we also block porn websites themselves. This means that if a protected device attempts to visit a porn website, we stop it from talking to that website in the first place.
We support enforcing SafeSearch filtering for the following search engines:
✅ Bing
✅ Brave Search
✅ DuckDuckGo
✅ Ecosia
✅ Qwant
✅ Yandex
In addition, we support blocking search engines that currently don't support enforcing SafeSearch under the "Unsafe search engines" category on the Blocking menu.
It's good to keep in mind that SafeSearch systems are automated, which means that they aren't 100% accurate. It's a good idea to perform physical monitoring, in addition to having a dedicated area for using devices at home.
We also support filtering content within apps wherever possible. Due to how computer networking works, Safe Surfer cannot pull inappropriate content out of websites and apps, which is why we support blocking a wide range of websites and apps. Although, it is possible for us to remove inappropriate content if a service (such as a social media app) provides us with networking tools to enforce this. We're working to get more apps and services to support filter locking through computer networking:
| Name | Type of service | Provides support for filter locking through DNS networking | Filter mode(s) | Safe Surfer category name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube | Social media | ✅ | Moderate or Strict filter | YouTube |
| Mojeek | Search engine | 🔄 (working on support – February 2024) | SafeSearch | Unsafe search engines |
| Kagi | Search engine | 🔄 (planned to support – February 2024) | SafeSearch | Unsafe search engines |
| Startpage | Search engine | ❌ (feedback officially confirmed as received – February 2024) | SafeSearch | Unsafe search engines |
| Yep | Search engine | ❌ (feedback officially confirmed as received – March 2024) | SafeSearch | Unsafe search engines |
| TikTok | Social media | ❌ (feedback officially confirmed as received – March 2024) | Restricted mode | TikTok |
| Flickr | Photos and videos | ❌ (feedback officially confirmed as received – February 2024) | SafeSearch | Entertainment and arts; Potentially unsafe services |
| Pixabay | Photos and videos | ❌ (feedback officially confirmed as received – February 2024) | SafeSearch | Entertainment and arts; Potentially unsafe services |
| Vimeo | Video sharing | ❌ (feedback officially confirmed as received – March 2024) | Mature content filter | Vimeo |
| Dogpile | Search engine | ❌ (attempted to contact in February 2024) | SafeSearch | Unsafe search engines |
| Yahoo Search | Search engine | ❌ (attempted to contact in February 2024) | SafeSearch | Unsafe search engines |
| Baidu (China) | Search engine | ❌ (attempted to contact in February 2024) | None | Unsafe search engines |
| Yahoo Search (Japan) | Search engine | ❌ (attempted to contact in February 2024) | SafeSearch | Unsafe search engines |
| Cốc Cốc (Vietnam) | Search engine | ❌ (attempted to contact in February 2024) | SafeSearch | Unsafe search engines |
| Patreon | Crowdfunding | ❌ (attempted to contact in February 2024) | NSFW filter | Business and industrial; Potentially unsafe services |
| Itch.io | Games | ❌ (attempted to contact in February 2024) | Adult filter | Games; Potentially unsafe services |
| Bluesky | Social media | ❌ (attempted to contact in March 2024) | Adult content filter | Bluesky |
| Social media | ❌ (attempted to contact in February 2024) | NSFW filter | ||
| Dailymotion | Video sharing | ❌ (attempted to contact in February 2024) | Sensitive content filter | Video streaming; Potentially unsafe services |
Updated on: 22/04/2024
Thank you!