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<< CommonProblems | FAQ Index | Vistua Desktop Setup Tool (Mini-FAQ) >>

1.  Why Have you Blocked Site X?

The Network blocks a limited number of sites which are fraudulent, which are technically dangerous or which could cause legal problems for the system. If site X is blocked it falls into one of these categories

2.  But the Site was Previously Acceptable!

Please check to see if you have spelled the URI correctly. Occasionally malicious sites set up shop using domain-names which are very similar to harmless ones. If, however, the URI is exactly correct it is possible that the site has changed purpose or that there has been a mistake. If you suspect the latter, keep reading.

3.  What General Kinds of Sites are Blocked?

This is informative, not normative, it does not specifically set policy or predict actions.

To be blocked, the site must either be a security hazard (phishing, certain browser toolbars, spyware) or fraudulent or "parked". "Parked" refers to blank, place-holder or spam domains which have been registered in DNS but are not in use.

3.1  How do you Determine if a Site Belongs to one of these Categories?

This process for detecting dangerous sites is actually part of the Browser is not usually under our direct control. An exceedingly tiny number of sites are manually blacklisted.

''We do not use "filtration" software that scans the contents of pages to look for "naughty words" or similar things.

Although the lists are updated regularly This system is not infallible there are probably at least some false positives and likely quite a few false negatives, you can apply to have a site unblocked if you think that it has been wrongly categorized.

4.  How Does it Work?

There are two possible methods.

1. The browser detects that the site is dangerous and warns you.
2. The router directly firewalls the specific domain.

This all happens very, very efficiently and does not measurably degrade system performance.

4.1  Can I Have a Site Unblocked?

No. You can override the browser security block yourself and at your own risk but the manual block ("website blocked by router firewall") will not be removed as it is only used in extreme cases when automatic detection fails.

5.  I do not Like Site X, can I have it Blocked?

Not really.

We are not in the content control business. If you feel a site is technically harmful or is a phising site, you can send an email to admin@vistua.net and the request will be evaluated. If it is validated, administration will forward a report about it to the organizations maintaining the block-lists. Administration tend to be very, very conservative about adding sites to the manual blacklist so that may not happen, even if it meets the criteria.

If you think a site is hateful, controversial or morally wrong, set up your own pages to criticize this, rather than asking to have it blocked.

5.1  Can I Opt Out of the Scheme?

No, that is impossible due to technical restrictions of The Internet. Although you can disable browser-based detection, it would be most unwise to do so.

5.2  See Also

• Manual Site Blacklist
• Manual Site Whitelist
• Dns - Knowledge Base article

Categories: Faq, Internet, Policy