|
| |
| SSi |
Internet
URL Blocking Categories
|
The Websense Master Database URL
Categories
Websense Enterprise works in conjunction
with a Master Database of 2.2 million Web sites (comprising 400 million pages)
that fall into one of 65+ categories. The user can configure Websense to
monitor or block sites in each category. In Websense Enterprise 4.2,
administrators can allow users to continue surfing or defer access to sites in
a particular category until after work.
Sites are first mined through proprietary
software techniques and then classified into categories. Sites not categorized
by this method are evaluated by qualified Internet analysts for proper
categorization and continually checked for accuracy.
Sites are categorized based on the
definitions below. These categories have been broken down to allow
organizations to better adjust the level of access they want to give their
users. In case of uncertainty, a collaborative decision is made as to whether
a site is included, and in what category it is placed. Our database is
regularly checked for accuracy and quality.
Categories are tools. Like other tools, they
are made to be used for particular purposes. When they are separated from
those purposes, or turned to purposes for which they were not intended, they
often are less useful and sometimes may be misunderstood.
The categories used by Websense Inc. to sort
out the millions of Websites on the Internet have been designed to collect
together in useful groupings the kinds of sites of interest and concern to its
subscribing customers. They are not intended to characterize any site or group
of sites or the persons or interests who publish them, and they should not be
construed as doing so. Likewise, the labels attached to Websense categories,
necessary aspects of the tool, are convenient shorthand and are not intended
to convey, nor should they be construed as conveying, any opinion or attitude,
approving or otherwise, toward the subject matter or the sites so classified.
URL Categories
- 1. Abortion Advocacy
- Sites with neutral or balanced
discussion of the issues are classified under the main category
"Abortion Advocacy."
- 1.1 Pro-life Sites
- 1.2 Pro-choice Sites
|
- 2. Activist/Advocacy Groups
- Sites sponsored by or devoted to
organizations that promote change or reform in public policy, public
opinion, social practice, economic activities and relationships.
Excludes commercially sponsored sites (4, 13, 21), sites dedicated
to electoral politics or legislation (10.2) or to the abortion issue
(1), sites advocating hate or violence (16, 19, 28).
|
- 3. Adult Material
- 3.1. Adult Content. Sites
featuring full or partial nudity reflecting or establishing a
sexually oriented context, but not sexual activity (3.3); sexual
paraphernalia; erotica and other literature featuring, or
discussions of, sexual matters falling short of pornographic;
sex-oriented businesses such as clubs, nightclubs, escort services,
password/verification sites. Includes sites supporting online
purchase of such goods and services.
- 3.2 Nudity. Sites
offering depictions of nude or seminude human forms, singly or in
groups, not overtly sexual in intent or effect.
- 3.3 Sex. Sites
depicting or graphically describing sexual acts or activity,
including exhibitionism.
- 3.4 Sex Education. Sites
offering information on sex and sexuality, with no pornographic
intent.
- 3.5 Lingerie &
Swimsuit. Sites offering views of
models in suggestive but not lewd costume; suggestive female breast
nudity. Also classic "cheesecake" art and photography.
|
- 4. Business and Economy
- Sites sponsored by or devoted to
individual business firms, but not supporting ecommerce (21) and not
firms engaged in computer or Internet businesses (13) or the sale of
alcohol or tobacco (22.1), travel services (26), vehicles (27), or
weaponry (29). Includes commercial real estate, but not residential
real estate (21.2).
- 4.1 Financial Data
& Services. Sites offering news and
quotations on stocks, bonds, and other investment vehicles,
investment advice; but not online trading. Includes banks, credit
unions, credit cards, and life insurance.
|
- 5. Drugs (as characterized
by U.S. law)
- 5.1 Abused Medications.
Sites that discuss or promote or provide information about
prohibited, scheduled, or otherwise controlled or regulated drugs
and their abuse; also, paraphernalia associated with such use and
abuse.
- 5.2 Prescribed Medications.
Sites providing information about approved drugs and their medical
use.
- 5.3 Supplements/Unregulated
Compounds. Sites providing
information about or promoting the use of chemicals not regulated by
the FDA (as naturally occurring compounds, for example).
|
- 6. Education
- 6.1 Educational
Institutions. Sites sponsored by
schools and other educational facilities or by faculty or alumni
groups, or that relate to educational events and activities.
- 6.2 Cultural
Institutions. Sites sponsored by
museums, galleries, theatres (but not movie theatres), and other
cultural institutions.
|
- 7. Entertainment
- Sites that provide information
about or promote motion pictures, non-news radio and television,
books, humor, music, and magazines (other than those devoted
primarily to adult material (3), business (4), electronic games (9),
information technology (13), alcohol and tobacco (22.1), health
(11), hobbies (22.5), sports (24), travel (26), vehicles (27), or
weaponry (29)).
- 7.1 MP3. Sites
that support downloading of mp3 files or that serve as directories
of such sites.
|
- 8. Gambling
- Sites that provide information
about or promote gambling or that support online gambling. Risk of
losing money possible.
|
- 9. Games
- Sites that provide information
about or promote electronic games, video games, computer games,
role-playing games, or online games, but not board or card games
(22.5); also sites that support or host online games. Includes
sweepstakes and giveaways.
|
- 10. Government
- Sites sponsored by government
branches or agencies; all levels of government (i.e., *.gov)
- 10.1 Military.
Sites sponsored by military branches or agencies (i.e., *.mil)
- 10.2 Political Groups. Sites
sponsored by or providing information about political parties and
interest groups focused on elections or legislation.
|
- 11. Health
- Sites that provide information or
advice on personal health or medical services, health insurance,
procedures, or devices, but not drugs (5). Includes self-help
groups.
|
- 12. Illegal/Questionable
- Sites that provide instruction in
or promote crime (except computer crime (13.1)) or unethical or
dishonest behavior or evasion of prosecution therefore.
|
- 13. Information Technology
- Sites sponsored by or providing
information on computer- and Internet-industry firms.
- 13.1 Hacking. Sites
providing information on or promoting illegal or questionable access
to or use of communications equipment and/or software.
- 13.2 Proxy Avoidance
Systems. Sites that provide information
on how to bypass proxy server features or to gain access to URLs in
any way that bypasses the proxy server.
- 13.3 Search Engines
& Portals. Sites that support
searching the Web, news groups, or indices or directories thereof.
- 13.4. Web Hosting. Sites
of organizations that provide hosting services, or top-level domain
pages of Web communities.
- 13.5 URL Translation
Sites. Sites that offer online
translation of URLs including those that offer online language
translation of Web sites by submitting the URL of the target site.
|
- 14. Internet Communications
- 14.1 Web Chat.
Sites that host Web Chat services, Chat sites via
HTTP, on-IRC chat rooms. Home pages devoted to IRC. Sites that offer
forums or discussion groups.
- 14.2 Web-based Email. Sites
that host Web-based email. Any Web based email service, either
browser or software based.
|
- 15. Job Search
- Sites that offer information on or
support seeking employment.
|
- 16. Militancy/Extremist
- Sites that offer information on or
promote or are sponsored by groups advocating antigovernment beliefs
or action.
|
- 17. News & Media
- Sites that offer current or
real-time news, including those sponsored by newspapers, magazines,
trade and academic journals, radio and television stations and
networks, wire services; but not current financial quotes (4.1) or
sports (24).
- 17.1 Alternative Journals -
On-line equivalents to supermarket tabloids or non-mainstream
periodicals Note: This category may contain material which is sexual
in nature.
|
- 18. Premium Group 1
- Premium categories available with
Websense Enterprise, v4.2. Default category set is
"monitor-only" unless purchased.
- 18.1 Advertisements.
Sites that provide advertising servers.
- 18.2 Freeware/Software
Download. Sites whose primary
function is to provide freeware software downloads.
- 18.3 Instant Messaging. Sites
that enable instant messaging
- 18.4 Online Brokerage &
Trading. Sites that support
active trading of securities and management of investments.
- 18.5 Pay-to-Surf Sites. Sites
that pay for people to surf or pay to email.
|
- 19. Racism/Hate
- Sites that promote the
identification of racial groups, the denigration or subjection of
groups (racially identified or otherwise), or the superiority of any
group.
|
- 20. Religion
- 20.1 Non-traditional
Religions. Sites that provide
information on or promote religions not listed in 20.2 and on other
unconventional religious or quasi-religious subjects, including
cults.
- 20.2 Traditional
Religions. Sites that provide
information on or promote Buddhism, Baha'i, Christianity, Christian
Science, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Mormonism, Shinto, and Sikhism;
also atheism.
|
- 21. Shopping
- Sites that support online
purchasing of consumer goods but not including sexual paraphernalia
(3.1), investments (4.1), computer software or hardware (13),
supplements (5.3), alcohol and tobacco (22.1), travel services (26),
vehicles and parts (27), or weaponry (29). Included are sites
exclusively devoted to selling sports or religious goods.
- 21.1 Internet Auction.
Sites that support the offering and
purchasing of goods between individuals.
- 21.2 Real Estate. Sites
that provide information on renting, buying and selling residential
real estate.
|
- 22. Society and Lifestyle
- Sites that provide information on
matters of daily life, excluding sex (3), entertainment (7), jobs
(15), sports (24), and those topics covered in subsections below.
- 22.1 Alcohol &
Tobacco. Sites that provide information
on, promote, or support the sale of alcoholic beverages, tobacco
products, and any associated paraphernalia. Excludes self-help
groups like AA, which are in Health.
- 22.2 Gay & Lesbian
Issues. Sites that provide information
on or cater to gay and lesbian lifestyles, including those
supporting online shopping; but not sexually oriented (3.1, 3.3) or
issue-oriented (2).
- 22.3 Personals &
Dating. Sites that promote
interpersonal relationships, excluding those of exclusively gay or
lesbian appeal.
- 22.4. Restaurants
& Dining. Sites that list, review,
advertise, or promote food, catering, or dining services.
- 22.5 Hobbies. Sites
that provide information on or promote private and largely sedentary
pastimes, but not electronic, video, or online games (9).
|
- 23. Special Events
- Sites devoted to a current event
that requires separate categorization owing to objectionable
content, bandwidth demand, or potential effect on productivity. Some
such sites will disappear; others will be reviewed after 90 days for
possible reclassification.
|
- 24. Sports
- Sites that provide information on
or promote sports, active games, and recreation.
|
- 25. Tasteless
- Sites that cannot be categorized
elsewhere but offer offensive, grotesque, frightening, lurid,
material with no redeeming value.
|
- 26. Travel
- Sites that provide information on
or promote various travel-related services and destinations,
including those that support online purchase or reservations.
|
- 27. Vehicles
- Sites that provide information on
or promote vehicles, including those that support online purchase of
vehicles or parts.
|
- 28. Violence
- Sites that provide information on
or promote violent activity. Sites containing excessive profanity
may be classified here if not under Tasteless (25).
|
- 29. Weapons
- Sites that provide information on,
promote, or support the sale of weapons and related items.
|
|
