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Enforce Safe Search in Connect for Chrome

Updated
This article is for IT Support. 

Safe Search is a function of Google and Microsoft that omits explicit content from search results in Bing, Google Search, and YouTube Search. You can use Linewize Filter to enable Safe Search on devices running Connect.

Caution

It's important to avoid double inspecting. Double inspecting occurs when multiple Safe Search options are active simultaneously. This can happen when two or more of these scenarios is true:

  1. Your school's firewall has Safe Search enabled.
  2. Your school's Google Workspace has Safe Search enabled.
  3. Your Linewize appliance has Safe Search enabled.
  4. Your Connect for Chrome, Windows, macOS, and iOS devices have Safe Search enabled.

To prevent double inspecting, remember to turn off the other Safe Search options when one is in use. This practice ensures Safe Search works correctly and blocks explicit and potentially offensive content from appearing on Google, Bing, and YouTube searches.

Before You Start

  • Check if you have Safe Search enabled in your Google Workspace. If your school already uses Google Workspace for Safe Search, duplicating the Safe Search in Google Workspace and Linewize Filter can prevent Safe Search from working.
  • Review your list of Content Filtering rules for any existing rules for Google, YouTube, and Bing search engines and keywords.
  • Consider the YouTube filter mode set for your school. If your school sets YouTube into strict search mode, teachers cannot override this in Classwize.

Enabling Safe Search

These steps enforce Safe Search for devices running Connect for Chrome

  1. In Linewize Filter, go to Configuration > Mobile Agent.
    1. Go to On Linewize Filter Network if you have a physical appliance on your network.
    2. If you do not have a physical appliance, go to Off Linewize Filter Network.
  2. Ensure the Filtering Enabled checkbox is enabled.
  3. Under Safe Search, complete one of the following two steps:
    1. If you use Google Workspace to manage Safe Search for Google Search
      and YouTube, select only Bing.
    2. If you do not use Google Workspace to manage Safe Search,
      select Google, Bing, and/or YouTube.
  4. (Optional) If you enable YouTube, the default selection is Strict mode, but you can change the mode to fit your users.
    1. Select Strict mode to block videos, comments, recommendations, and YouTube search results based on Linewize Filter’s filtering categories for the most sensitive viewers.
    2. Select Moderate mode to allow some topics that may be appropriate for older students (for example, war history, social issues, or human biology).
  5. If you have a Linewize appliance and want to enforce Safe Search when the users’ devices are outside of school, go to Off Linewize Filter Network and repeat steps 2-4 above.