UK Education based filtering

[KLSsandman]

Hi

We have just had an IT audit, the auditors asked if the web filter app caters for UK based education with regards the new prevent safeguarding legislation. This covers specific categories for terrorism, radicalisation etc?

Is this something that you already do?

Many thanks
Simon

[MattWilton]

Hi,

I'm in a similar boat here. Don't know if you've managed to find any more information out?

Thanks

Matt

[KLSsandman]

Hi,

I'm in a similar boat here. Don't know if you've managed to find any more information out?

Thanks

Matt

Hi Matt,

No I haven't. It would go a long way to helping my cause if Untangle had both the IWF list and the government CTIRU list in their web categories.

Thanks
Simon

[KLSsandman]

This is a major headache for me, I want Untangle, but the company who did our audit are now project managing a tender process for a new web filter. The state a mandatory requirement of the tender is:

[M] The supplier should ensure the filtering solution is in line with the ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ current statutory guidance from 5th of September 2016.

Page 62 of The ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ current statutory guidance from 5th of September 2016.
https://www.gov.uk/government/upload..._education.pdf

The appropriateness of any filters and monitoring systems are a matter for individual
schools and colleges and will be informed in part by the risk assessment required by the
Prevent Duty.
88
The UK Safer Internet Centre has published guidance as to what “appropriate” might look
like:

https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/adv...iate-filtering

In considering filtering providers or systems , schools should ensure that access to illegal content is blocked, specifically that the filtering providers:

Are IWF members and block access to illegal Child Abuse Images and Content (CAIC)
Integrate the ‘the police assessed list of unlawful terrorist content, produced on behalf of the Home Office’

As such, I don't think Untangle can be used or the audit company will point out that it isn't compliant. Where that leaves us when the school is inspected I don't know!

Thanks
Simon

[KLSsandman]

Oh, I just found this:

Untangle.com are the manufacturer of our firewall/web filter. The filter automatically receives updates from a company called Zvelo who are members of the IWF.

From a UK school's child protection policy

[jcoffin]

Ah yes. Zvelo is the Web Filter database provider. Thanks for posting the UK school requirement information.

[sharrisonUK]

Ah yes. Zvelo is the Web Filter database provider. Thanks for posting the UK school requirement information.

John - Can you confirm whether Untangle Web Filter complies with the UK requirements, specifically allowing blocking of the following "categories":

i) The filter provider are IWF members and block access to illegal Child Abuse Images and Content (CAIC)

ii) Integrate the ‘the police assessed list of unlawful terrorist content, produced on behalf of the Home Office’ i.e. the Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU) List.

If Untangle presently does not comply, is there a timeframe for doing so?

...As items on the Zvelo database can be categorised into more than one category it would make total sense to add the IWF illegal CAIC and CTIRU listings to the database for clarity.

[MattWilton]

I emailed Zvelo directly and this is the email I recieved back.

"Hello Matthew,

Thank you for reaching out to zvelo.

You are correct in that we are members of the IWF and incorporate their feed within our zveloDB which allows for the blocking of URLs that contain content which promote the sexual exploitation of children. Currently, zvelo does not receive input from external lists which identify Counter Terrorism and/or Prevent the radicalization of children. The current zvelo category where such content is added (to our zveloDB) when found is the category of “Hate Speech” (for Terrorism or Radicalization themes).

Future zvelo initiatives include the investigation of additional external feeds or sources that can further enhance current zvelo capabilities, including the possibility of adding specific categories such as Radicalism and Terrorism as future considerations."

I'm not entirely sure where that leaves us.

[sharrisonUK]

I'm not entirely sure where that leaves us.

I too have picked up with Zvelo regarding their categorisation in another thread - web filter categorisation anomalies - and the response thus far is leading me to conclude that their approach is lacking for UK educational requirements. The only problem is that I also have reservations about the effectiveness of the two other vendors' gateway web filtering products that I work with on a regular basis that are sold as suitable for UK schools (and on the UK saferinternet.org.uk appropriate filtering advice list)

[jcoffin]

Just to update the information:

https://develop.untangle.com/shop/web-filter/

https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/adv...ider-responses

https://d1afx9quaogywf.cloudfront.ne...0Untangled.pdf