Why is Safe Surfer not blocking inappropriate content on a specific app or website?
Safe Surfer provides internet filtering by performing the following two steps: Enforcing SafeSearch filtering within as many search engines as possible. For example, if a person using 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 educational resources and journal articles). This is also meant to apply to image results wherever possible. Performing this filtPopularSafe Surfer system requirements
The Safe Surfer team tests our solutions on a wide range of devices and web browsers. Unfortunately some devices and browsers can have design issues or even hijack your user experience. A list of devices and browsers we recommend can be found below. We are not sponsored by any company or organisation, although we do partner with Samsung. Android devices Recommended Android version (https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/f8920d476a21b000/safesurfFew readersHow to request Safe Surfer to be unblocked on a school network
Due to how compuer networking works, some school networks might block Safe Surfer, which could cause protected devices to not be able to access the Internet while at school. This can be easily fixed by your school's IT department so that Safe Surfer can continue to be used both at home and school. Here's a template email that you could send to either your school's IT department or administration office: Hi there Our family is using the Safe Surfer parental controlFew readersAre there any benefits to using the Safe Surfer app instead of Wi-Fi-based filtering?
Safe Surfer started providing filtering services in 2016, and our first product for families and individuals was a Wi-Fi-based solution. In fact, we still provide these today to some customers in Australia and New Zealand. Wi-Fi filtering is highly convenient and effective, especially for younger families. Wi-Fi filtering also provides the ability to provide some protection for tricker devices (where it's not practical or possible to develop an app, such as smart TVs and video game consoles). BuFew readersWhy can't I download or use the Opera app?
Opera is a set of web browser apps used to search the Internet. Opera is built upon the Chromium technology (published by Google), but it does not support Chromium policies, unlike most other Chromium-based web browsers, such as Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. Safe Surfer blocks Opera because of its lack of support for these policies, which we require to make protection work in certain situations. In addition, the Opera Mini app processes website domains in the cloud, which means that online cFew readersWhy does blocking an app or a website not take effect immediately?
Safe Surfer performs internet filtering through DNS servers, which can be thought of as the "contacts list" of the Internet. To visit a website, such as https://safesurfer.io (where the domain safesurfer.io is the important bit for the filtering part), a device needs to talk to a DNS server to discover where exactly the Safe Surfer website is found on the Internet. If a protected device tries to visit a porn website, we block it so that the device can't talk to it in tFew readersWhy does YouTube say that a video is restricted?
Google provides Safe Surfer with two options for filtering content on YouTube: Moderate and Strict. These options attempt to filter out potentially objectionable content (profanity, violence, and/or sexual content) from being accessible when a device user is using the YouTube website or the YouTube app. If the device user tries to access a video that has been marked by Google's automated filter system, the video will report that the video is restricted by your network administrator (being us).Few readersWhy can't I filter different devices when Safe Surfer is installed on my Wi-Fi modem/router?
Safe Surfer is designed as a versatile online protection solution. When you install Safe Surfer on your home Wi-Fi, you might wonder why you can't see different devices connected to your home Wi-Fi on the Safe Surfer dashboard. In addition, you also might wonder if it's possible to filter individual devices by pointing each individual device to our DNS servers (which let protected devices either connect or not connect to the online servers of a particular website or app). Due to how computer netFew readersWhy does Safe Surfer report blocking an app overnight or when a device wasn't being used?
When Safe Surfer has been installed on a device, it performs network filtering 24/7. Due to how the Internet works, it's normal for apps to talk to the Internet even when the device isn't being used. If a device is left on overnight (that is, without having been fully turned off), it's normal if an app is reported as having been blocked. Apps can attempt to retrieve new information (such as messages) on a regular basis, even when the device isn't in use.Few readersWhy does my web browser app say that it's "managed by your organization" after installing Safe Surfer?
When using a web browser app (such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Firefox) on a laptop or desktop computer with Safe Surfer installed, you might see a message regarding the browser being "managed by your organization". This is normal, because we set a small amount of admin policies for common browser apps so that Safe Surfer can continue to work in specific circumstances. We do not abuse this feature, and we do not access profile data—this is a message designed to be read by school studFew readersCan Safe Surfer block Tor Browser?
Tor Browser is powerful anti-censorship software designed to break through many kinds of network filtering and monitoring. Used by journalists and activists worldwide, it can even break through China's Great Firewall if configured correctly! Due to its design, Tor Browser is sometimes used to break through internet filtering solutions installed by parents and caregivers. Safe Surfer is aware of the difficulties that arise for parents wanting to prFew readersDoes Safe Surfer support encrypted DNS (DoH or DoT)?
Safe Surfer invests in modern technologies to make surfing the web a safer experience for you. We have been keeping our eye on a new set of technologies that is being freshly released to devices by major technology companies and organisations via device updates: DNS over HTTPS (DoH) and DNS over TLS (DoT). Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Mozilla have been releasing support for DoH and DoT into their products since 2019 and 2020. In this article we will explain what these two terms are andPopularHow do I block a specific website?
Safe Surfer protects individuals, families, and businesses from harmful online content. If you visit our website on a device that is not protected with Safe Surfer, you will see the following widget at the top of the home page: No protection enabled at the moment... Safe Surfer services are controlled via your Safe Surfer account. To get started with blocking a deviceSome readersWhat search engines can Safe Surfer enforce filtering for?
Some readersHow does the Safe Surfer DNS work?
To provide you with a clean online surf experience, Safe Surfer takes advantage of Domain Name System (DNS), a computer technology that allows you to surf the web. All devices that use Safe Surfer talk with our DNS servers, as opposed to the default servers automatically assigned to you by your Internet service provider. Background Since its emergence in the early 1980s, DNS has become a core part of how the Internet works. DNS can be thought of as the "contacts list" of the Internet. When yPopularWhat happens if I block iCloud Private Relay?
iCloud Private Relay is a feature on Apple mobile devices designed to aid with improving user privacy in certain cases. Accessible with an iCloud+ subscription, the feature routes internet traffic in the Safari app to hide your real public IP address. Due to how this works, iCloud Private Relay will interfere with how Safe Surfer works. We will be adding a category to the Blocking menu on the Safe Surfer dashboard so that you can block this feature frFew readersAd blocking not working within Safari on iPhone
Are you having an issue with ad blocking not working in the Safari browser? Try this fix: On your iOS device go to Settings -Safari Scroll down to Privacy & Security Turn Hide IP Address to 'Off' Also shown in the screenshot below on a iPhone running iOS 16+ Safari Security & Privacy Settings iOS16 It seems to just be a problem within Safari on iPhone/iPad (iOS). This setting is notFew readersWhat is Microsoft Family Safety?
Microsoft Family Safety is a device management and content filtering solution developed and published by Microsoft. Through the creation of a family group in a Microsoft account, this solution features the ability to set device screen time limits, block inappropriate content on some apps, provide device activity reports, and provide GPS-based location tracking. Different solutions have their own sets of features, along with their own pros and cons. This article aims to help you to compare and eSome readersWhy doesn't Safe Surfer report on search terms entered into search engines?
Safe Surfer uses a computer networking system called DNS to perform network filtering. This is a highly practical and efficient way for us to provide you with comprehensive control over a majority of the content available on the Internet (including both websites and apps). DNS operates on a domain-based system (for example, processing "my.safesurfer.io") rather than a URL-based system (for example, processing "https://my.safesurfer.io/devices"). Due to this, we are unable to process search termsFew readersConfigure user accounts on Windows
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