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YouTube Partial Filtering for Connect for iOS

Updated

This article is for IT Support. 

  Warning

This feature will only work for iPadOS v14.6+ using Safari and Chrome, requiring Man in the Middle (MITM) inspection.

Partial Filtering lets you selectively allow access to specific YouTube videos while blocking access to the rest of YouTube. To turn on the YouTube Partial Filtering feature, you will need to:

  • Turn on MITM for YouTube
  • Configure an allow policy
  • Configure a block policy

 

Enable MITM for YouTube

  1. Go to Configuration > Mobile Agent > On Linewize Filter Network.
  2. Select the MITM Enabled checkbox.
  3. Select Search for Website Category and then select:
    • Signature YouTube.
    • Signature Google Search
  4. Select Save.
  5. Repeat steps 2-4 for Off Linewize Filter Network if required.

 

Creating the allow videos policy

  1. Go to Configuration > Objects > Pools > Add Pool.
  2. Enter a Name and select Website List.
  3. Add an entry with Name, Description and Entry as accounts.youtube.com.

  Note

This will allow the user to log in with their Google account and still be able to watch the videos.

  1. For the next entries, add all the video URLs you want to Allow (See Fig. 1).

      Note

    If you use Partial Filtering and third-party apps with embedded videos, you must add the embedded video URL to the same Partial Filtering allow list.

    The URL should look like this:
    youtube.com/embed/YQHsXMglC9A?*

  2. Go to Filtering > Content Filtering > Create Policy.
  3. Enter in a Name (such as Allow - YouTube Videos - All).
  4. For Type, select the Custom Website List you made earlier.
  5. Select Allow.
  6. Select Save.

bb625c87-b82b-4879-bfb9-b2323653a9f0.png

Fig. 1: Example of an Object pool with allowed YouTube videos.

 

Creating the block YouTube policy

  Note

If you already have a rule that blocks YouTube, you don’t need to create another one.

  1. Go to Filtering > Content Filtering > Create Policy.
  2. Enter a Name. (such as Block - YouTube - All).
  3. For Type, enter youtube.com

  Warning

Do not block the overall YouTube Signature, otherwise Chrome will fail to playback video clips.

  1. Select Website youtube.com
  2. For Type, enter youtubekids.com
  3. Select Website youtubekids.com
  4. Select Block.
  5. Select the Blocked Page checkbox.
  6. Select Save.

 

Testing YouTube Partial Filtering

Finish configuration, then connect to your network as a student user and attempt to access:

  1. An allowed video, and
  2. The YouTube homepage (or another blocked YouTube video).

You should be able to watch the allowed video, while the YouTube home page should display your block page.