Troubleshoot Content Filtering

This article can help you resolve some common Content Filtering problems. If these troubleshooting steps don’t fix your issue, contact Linewize IT Support.

Students can’t access a website that their teacher has unblocked using Classwize

The policy may be Locked Blocked.

Students won’t be able to access a Locked Blocked website in School Manager even if their teacher tries to create a Classwize rule to unblock it.

If the website belongs to a Locked Theme, Category, or Signature and needs unblocking without affecting the others, use a Locked Allow policy to create an exception for that site.

A website is still blocked even though I have set up a Policy to allow it

Your policy ordering can cause this. Content Filtering policies are applied from top to bottom of the list on the Content Filtering page. The first policy applies where there is a conflict, even if another policy is below it, to allow access.

For example, if you are trying to block Games but only allow Minecraft, you must order the Allow Minecraft Policy before the Block Policy.

• Allow - Minecraft - All
• Block - Gaming - All

For more information, read Filtering using Themes, Categories and Signatures.

Can I block something from one group of users but not another?

Yes, you can apply policies to specific groups of users and not others. The best way to do this is to make a group with the users you want to block.

1. Go to Configuration > Users and Groups > Groups.
2. Select Add Group, enter a Name, and add the Users.
3. Create your Content Filtering Policy. Under the Criteria dropdown, add the Group you just made.

A new Group is not getting filtered.

When creating a new Group, ensure they are added to the Content Filtering policy.

Edit the Content Filtering policy under the section Criteria dropdown, and add the Group into the policy.

I want to turn off a filtering policy temporarily

1. Go to Filtering > Content Filtering.
2. Next to the policy, there is a toggle to turn it off. The policy will remain off until you turn it on.

You can turn off all filtering for five minutes at a time. For example, If you want to troubleshoot a network component like a router, you must stop filtering to troubleshoot it.

1. Select the icon next to your School Manager Device Name.
2. Select Disable Filtering Temporarily.
3. At the confirmation message, select Disable Filtering.

The filtering will automatically resume after five minutes. If you need to extend the time your filtering is turned off, you can repeat these steps after the five minutes have expired.

Where do I see how many times users have hit the Content Filtering Policies?

You can change the time range for this report using the date menu at the top-right of your School Manager window and refresh your browser.

1. Go to Cyber Safety > Blocked. 
2. Select the Policies tab.
3. The Hits column displays the blocked attempts during the selected time period.