Web Content Category Filtering Software to Easily Block Websites

Use BrowseControl’s web content categorization database to block millions of websites across 100+ URL categories.

Easily block users from accessing social media, porn, games, known virus-infected websites, and more!

Starting at $5 USD user/month!

“This software was easy to install and customize to our needs. Category Filtering is such a time saver and of course saving time is saving money!”

Scott S, Senior Systems Engineer

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List of Website Categories Available
for Blocking & Monitoring

The URL categorization database is used by BrowseControl’s category filtering feature and BrowseReporter’s internet activity reports, giving you full control and insights into the types of web content being accessed by students, employees, and patrons.

URL Category Category Description Safe for Kids? Contains Nudity?
Abortion and pregnancy Sites that talk about: Pregnancy, Abortion, Pregnancy termination, Pro life and Pro choice No No
Actors and models This category appears only when filtering search results it will appear when the search result is an actor/model. Maybe Maybe
Ads Sites that serve ads, or are an ads agency (ads agency are preferably marketing or marketing/ads, but sometimes it's impossible to distinguish) Depends Maybe
Adult Sites that contain adult content, either graphically or in text, but is not Pornographic in nature. No Maybe
Adult dating Sites that deal with adult dating (contains sexual content). No Maybe
AI Sites that are about AI (artificial intelligence) or offer such services Yes No
Alcohol Sites that deal with alcohol, this includes: Wine, Brewing, Winemaking, Vineyards, Beer and bars. No No
Alternative medicine Sites that are about alternative medicine Yes No
Annoyances Sites that are annoying, mostly popups, this category is provided for PerPageSDK only. Maybe Maybe
Anorexy Sites that are about: Anorexy, Bulemia, and eating disorders. No No
API Hosts that are use as an API for software/browser, which don't have visible data. Yes No
Arts Sites about: Arts, Arts museums, Plays, Paintings, Poems, and Artists. Yes No
Astrology Sites that deal with divination: Astrology, Palmistry, Cold reading methods, Card reading, Tarot and seeing the future. Yes No
Banks Banking sites Yes No
Beauty and Fashion Sites that talk about: Life style, Beauty, Personal care, Wrist watches, Jewelry, Cosmetics, Perfumes, Personal grooming, Hair/Nail salons and Weddings. Depends Light
Bitcoin Bitcoin and other crypto currency related sites Yes No
Blogs Sites that are blogs, if the content of the site is not safe, it will be in another or extra category. Yes No
Bookmarks Sites that are a repository of bookmarks, can be a social bookmarking service as well. Yes No
Books or comics Sites that are about: Books, Libraries, Book shops and Author's pages. There are new category for comics, the name in the category is for backward compatibility only. Yes No
Business and services Sites belonging to a business or a service provider that doesn't fall under any of the other categories. Yes No
Bypass protection Sites that are used to bypass parental controls software and components, VPN and Proxies fall under the Proxy category. No Maybe
CDN CDN Sites, they serve content of others, some CDNs can server both safe and unsafe sites. Depends Maybe
Celebrity gossip Sites that are about celebrity gossip, if contains nudity, it will come with an additional category that indicates it. Maybe Maybe
Chats Sites that are mostly online chats, or chat/messaging applications. Depends No
Classifieds Classifieds sites, second hand sales/services, yelp. Yes No
Clothing and fashion Sites that are about: Clothing/shoes, Fashion, Clothing/shoes shop, Hand bags, clothing/shoes manufacturer. Yes No
Community and society Sites that are about: Charity, Community (helping other), Fundraising. Yes No
Computer games Sites that are about computer games or online games (some games can be violent like GTA). Depends No
Consumer reviews Consumer and products review sites Yes No
Contact sport Sites that are about contact sports, like: Martial arts, WWE, UFC and MMA. Yes No
Cooking and food Sites that are about: Cooking, Food, Non alcoholic beverages, Recipes, Food shopping - excluding restaurants. Yes No
Crime Sites that are about crime (either covering it, or giving crime instructions) No Maybe
Dancing Sites that are about dancing Yes No
Dating Dating sites. No No
Depress domain Sites that are about sad topics such as : Obituaries, Cemeteries, Crematorium, Funerals, Jail, Prison, Disasters and more. Maybe No
Depress page Will only appear at page level classification, it indicates the same as Depress domain, only at a page level (for example an article about a disaster in CNN). Maybe No
Desktop themes Sites that offer: Screensavers, Desktop themes, E cards, Greeting cards, and Social sites covers. Yes No
Diet Sites that are about: Diet, Weight loss and Weight gain. Yes No
Directories Sites that are: Directories with many sites, Scraped statistics about uptime/downtime. Maybe Maybe
DNS error site can't be resolved Site can't be resolved. No Maybe
Drugs Sites that are about: Illegal drugs, Dispensaries - although some countries legalized CBD/THC products, it's still classified as drugs. No Maybe
Education Sites that belong to: Schools, Kinder gardens, Colleges, Universities and Educational software/guides. Yes No
Empty site While scanning the site it didn't return any result, which means site can't be verified. No Maybe
Entertainment Sites about: Movie reviews, Entertainment, Magazines about entertainment, Events, Night life, may contain streaming media, does not contain downloadable media. Yes No
Error site can't be accessed While scanning the site there was an error, which means site can't be verified. No Maybe
File hosting Sites that allow users to host their files for internal use or public sharing, files content isn't verified (may contain nudity or warez). Depends Maybe
Finance Sites that are about: Financial information, Investing, Stock exchange, Credit, Accounting, Payment gateways, business plans and models. Yes No
Fitness Sites that are about fitness, like: Yoga, Bodybuilding, Weightlifting, Diet in context of fitness and Fitness. Yes No
Forex Sites that talk about or offer: Forex or Binary options services Yes No
Forums Forums or groups site. Yes No
Gambling Sites that have: Gambling games, Sports betting, Betting statistics, Lottery, or gambling information (gambling addictions will be under health). No Maybe
Gender specific Sites that have content aimed for a specific gender, for example, men's magazine, or women's portal. Yes No
General - not porn Sites that our classifier could not find any suitable category for them. It means that they couldn't be classified as unsafe as well. Depends Maybe
General (safe) No known category, but considered safe (no pornography, drugs, gambling, adult, alcohol, tobacco), it is used mostly for sites that can confuse URL Classification algorithms because of words like Essex and similar variations. Yes No
Government Sites that belong to the government or governmental agencies. Yes No
Grief Sites that are about: Grief, Loss and Grief/Loss support. No No
Hacking Sites that are about: Hacking, Cracking, Stolen data and mobile jailbreak. No No
Hate Sites that are about hate toward: Genders, Race, Religion. Also: Holocaust denial, Pro Nazi. No Maybe
History Sites about: Historical events, Historical figures and past wars. Yes No
Hobbies Sites that are about various type of: Hobbies, Crafts, RC Cars, Collectables and also gardening. Yes No
Home improvement Sites about: Home improvements, Decorating, Home items and DIY sites. Yes No
HostExt white list This category exists only inside the SDK, it means the URL request extension will not be checked, or the site is white listed. Yes No
How to Sites that are user generated content with How to guides. If contains adult content it will come with an additional category that indicates it. Yes No
Humor Sites with: Jokes, Humor related content, and Standup comedy. Yes No
Hunting and fishing Sites that are about: Hunting and Fishing information or equipment, Taxidermy and Game (hunting related). Depends No
Illegal Sites that offer illegal products like fake IDs, diplomas, etc (sites for drugs, warez, weapons are under their own category). No Maybe
Image and video hosting Sites that give the ability go host images, videos and image/video search engine. Mixed Maybe
Image block Used for search results only, the sites may host bad images, usually an image hosting site, not relevant if software is not processing each image inside the search engine image search. Maybe Maybe
Images CDN CDN that contains safe images, but are not user generated (this is a manually controlled list) Yes No
Images CDN Unknown CDN that contains images, but there's no way to tell which kind, only in the context of the web page Maybe Maybe
Insurance Sites that offer insurance Yes No
Internal category Internal category Depends Maybe
ISP ISP sites or ISP related (such as ADSL news), sites that offer Internet connection and phone/mobile falls under the Telecommunications category. Yes No
Jobs Sites that are about: Job offers, Job search, HR software, Job/Resume tips and Freelancing job sites. Yes No
Kids safe Sites that are just for kids and are safe (sites added to this category is only after human review) Yes No
Kids Entertainment Sites that are entertainment for kids Yes No
Knowledge Sites that: Provide general paid knowledge, Online courses, Frontal training. Yes No
Legal Sites that belong to: Lawyers, Law firms, Courts, Legal documents repository, Identity verification, and sites that give legal advice or tips. Yes No
Legal movies Sites that legally host/stream full length movies and series, this list is a manual list. Yes No
Legal songs Sites that legally host/stream music, this list is a manual list. Yes No
Lifestyle and culture Sites that contain material related to an individual’s personal, community or cultural identity, or organizational/club affiliations. Maybe Maybe
Link farm Sites that has no value and contain various links that will generate the owner money, or parked domains. May contain pornography. Danger Maybe
Loans Sites that offer: Loans, Mortgages and Debt consolidation Yes No
Local Sites about local information: City information, State information, Law enforcement and Fire fighters. If the second category is news, then it's local news. Yes No
Local IP Local IPs can't be classified. Maybe Maybe
Login page This page or site is part of a login or user management. It's not always possible to deduce the site's actual classification. Maybe Maybe
Lookup Sites that offer various lookup and reverse lookup of: Emails, Domains, IPs, Phone numbers and People. Yes No
Magazines Magazines sites (could be online magazines or a site for offline magazines), may contain another category if possible to denote the magazine category. Yes No
Marketing or ads Sites that ad agencies, and it's possible that the domain name also serves ads. Yes No
Medical Sites that talk about medical and health information. Yes No
Military Sites with .mil or military related Depends No
Mixed adult Sites that have mixed content, some safe and some not, but is not outright adult content so it can't be categorized as such. No Yes
Mobile Sites that are about: Mobile devices, Cater only to mobile, Cellular phone sellers and manufacturers. Yes No
Models Sites that contains images and information about: Models, Modelling and Models agency. Depends Light
Money spam Sites that deal with making money online, or aggressive sales pitch with a squeeze page, this niche is highly abused and sites in this category should be treated as possible spam/scam. No No
Movies download Sites that offer movies/series download or online streaming (can be pirate site, if contains other pirated content it will marked as Warez instead) Yes No
Music Sites that are about: Music, Music magazines, Lyrics, Bands, Musical instruments and free music download (free songs, samples, effects). Yes No
Nature Sites that are about: Nature or the Environment. Yes No
News and magazines Sites that are about: News, Newspaper sites. Some news site can contain many themes in their main page beside news. Depends No
Nonsense and time waste Sites that have many articles about: Memes, Movies and pictures that are mostly time waste, Viral jokes or a site with many articles in the form of "10 ways to ", "do this to become" even if it's on a subject as health. Some sites will have a secondary category of Semi nude or Mixed nude because of their content. Maybe Maybe
Not HTML Content inspected is not HTML Maybe Maybe
Not safe No category found for site, but site was found to be not safe, usually because it uses "shady" advertisement that has unsafe content. No Maybe
Online drugs Sites that offer to sell drugs like: Viagra, Pain killers, Narcotics, Anabolic Steroids. No Maybe
Online marketing Sites that are related to: Online marketing, Email marketing services, Web analytics, Ads providers (but is not an ad serving domain). Yes No
Online security Sites that belong to security product like: Anti Virus or firewall, or are about online security Yes No
Online video or audio Sites that has streaming audio and video (for example tv/radio sites, movie clips sites, podcasts), will not contain porn sites, but some content may still be inappropriate, for example youtube.com. Pirated content will be in its own categories. Depends Maybe
Other drugs Sites that are about drugs that are not part of the Drugs Online drugs category, these are drugs that are legal. (because legality is different between countries, the decision is based on the views of the classifier, if you need an exact list of the drugs, contact us) No No
Paranormal Sites that talk about paranormal topics like: UFO, Ghosts, Clairvoyance and conspiracy theory. No No
Parenting and family Sites that talk about: Parenting, Baby showers. Maybe No
Person Sites that are about a specific person (not applies to music, sports, entertainment related people) Yes No
Pets and animals Sites that talk about Pets and animals Yes No
Pharmacy Online pharmacy sites. No No
Philosophy and psychology Sites about: Philosophy, Psychology, Psychological/Cognitive tests and Psychological issues. Yes No
Phishing Sites that contain phishing and other content that is scam based. Danger Maybe
Photography Sites belong to photographers or about photography Yes No
Politics Sites that are about: Political opinion, Politics, Politics news, Politicians, Parliament parties, and protests. Depends No
Porn Sites that contain pornographic content. No Yes
Portals Sites that are portals or magazines that may contain number of categories (some may be related to fashion or intimate apparel) Depends Maybe
PPC Sites that are about PPC or offer such services Yes No
Profanity Sites that contain profanity Depends Maybe
Programming Sites that about: Programming, Development languages or Development frameworks Yes No
Proxy Sites that provide information or service to tunnel web traffic and cause webfilter bypass: Tor, Proxy lists, Proxy/VPN providers. No No
Real estate Sites that are about: Real estate, Realtors or House rentals Yes No
Recreation Sites that are about: Recreation and Outdoors and which are not sports related. Yes No
Reference Sites that are: Dictionary, Maps, Translation, Calculators, Thesaurus, Wiki, Wikipedia and General information sites. Yes No
Registry cleaner Sites that belong to registry cleaners or uninstallers Yes No
Relationships Sites that talk about: Romantic relationships, Dating advice, Marriage advice and Pickup but do not offer dating services sites. No No
Religion Sites that about: Religion, Spirituality and Religion practices. Yes No
Restaurant Sites that belong to: Restaurant, Food ordering, Cafe or similar food selling establishments Yes No
Retirement Sites that are about: Retirement, and Retirements homes. Yes No
Rewards Sites that offer reward/loyalty programs Yes No
Safe No category found for site, but site was found to be safe (it's a reserved category, it's not used for now, but it can be activated at any time) Yes No
School cheats Sites that offer ready made works for students, or custom work. Maybe No
Science Sites that are about: Science, Mathematics, Research papers and companies/organizations that are involved in Science research. Yes No
Search block Used for search phrases only, this indicates the search should be blocked. Unlike phrases that fall under a known category, some keyword could be both "good" and "bad", so they are classified as Search block. Maybe Maybe
Search engines Search engines sites, search result may contain unsafe content, our engine is able to classify the search based on the search keywords (contact us for help on the matter) Depends Maybe
Sects Sites that are about: Sects, Occult, Cults, Cult leaders, Scientology, Church of Satan, Demons, and Secret Societies. No Maybe
SelfHelp Sites that are about: Self help, Motivational speakers, Meditation and Relaxation. Yes No
Semi nude and pin up Site that are about intimate fashion and apparel but in context of the images rather then shopping for them, also celebrity gossip with high percent of underwear and swimwear, this category can be treated for age 16+. No Maybe
SEO Sites that are about SEO/SEM or offer such services Yes No
Sex education and sexuality Sites that talk about: Sex educations, Sexuality, Sexual procedures, Reproduction tract related issues. Depends Maybe
Shopping Shopping, Coupons and online auctions sites. Yes No
Site under construction or not available Sites that are under construction or returned an error response when checked. No Maybe
Site_Graphic design Sites that about: Sites/Graphic creation, Templates, Fonts, Icons, Vectors, Stock images/Videos, Themes and design, this may include graphic services. Yes No
Social networks Sites that offer social networks services. Depends Maybe
Software Site that offers: Software download, SAAS. (Legal sites only) Yes No
Software (Others) Sites that belong to a software or software as a service, but not software repository which has its own category Yes No
Songs download Sites that offer songs/mp3 download (can be pirate site, if contains other pirated content it will marked as Warez instead) Yes No
Spam or scam Sites that has no value, trying to con the user, money from home schemes. Danger Maybe
Sports Sites that are about: Sports, Car/Motorcycle racing, Sports streaming (will also be tagged with streaming) and Horse racing. Yes No
Suicide Sites that talk about suicide, suicide prevention or pro suicide. No No
Supplements Sites that are about or selling: Nutritional supplements, protein powders Yes No
Surveys and polls Website that offer surveys and polls services. Nonsense polls and are in the Nonsense category. Yes No
Swimsuits and underwear Sites that sell, show or talk about swimsuits, Lingerie and Underwear, these sites contain images of people wearing them. Shopping sites with underwear and swimsuit will fall under this category. Maybe Maybe
Tactical equipment Sites that sell: Tactical gear, Body armor, Survival gear, Security gear. Also Preping and Survival information sites Maybe No
Tattoo Sites that are about: Tattoos, Body modification, Body painting, Piercing, Service providers that provide all of those, and Image galleries of all of those. No Yes
Technology and computers Sites that about: Technology, Computers, Software information (but not the software vendor site), Hardware. Yes No
Tele Communications Home site of Tele Communications companies, which provide number of services such as: ISP, Cellular, Cable, Satellite, TV. Yes No
Tobacco Sites that are about: Tobacco, Smoking (not drugs), Cigarettes, Cigars, Vaping and E Cigarettes. No Maybe
Toys Sites that are about: Children toys, Dolls, and Board games. Yes No
Tracker Sites that are tracking user behavior (web analytics). Yes No
Unknown This domain is not yet categorized Depends Maybe
Upper level content Host classification could not be decided because either there's not enough data, host is under constructions or other reasons and received the classification of one of the next levels of the host. Per host Per host
URL Classification Sites that are about URL Classification or offer such services Yes No
URL shortener URL redirection or shortners service sites. When the user browses them they will redirect. Make sure to request classification for the redirection. There are some URL Shorteners that also display ads. Depends You need to verify target URL
User generated content Sites that contain user generated content which are not blogs or forums. Yes No
Vacation and travel Sites that talk about: Travel, Vacations, Holidays, Holidays' bookings, Hotels, Air lines, Attractions and Museums. Yes No
Vehicles Sites that talk about: Cars, Boats, Planes, Bikes, Trucks, Trains, Space shuttles, Motorcycles and all other forms of vehicles. Yes No
Victim help Sites that offer help/support to victims of: Rape, Violence, Abuse, Crime, etc. Maybe No
Violence Sites that contain violent content or extreme profanity. No Yes
Virus infected Sites that are known to be infected with viruses Danger Maybe
Warez Sites that contain: Torrents, Warez, Software cracks. It may or may not also contain adult content. Depends Maybe
Weapons Sites that talk and/or sell: Weapons, Guns, Knives, and Army memorabilia. It may overlap with Tactical category for sites that are selling both weapons and tactical equipment. No No
Weather Sites that talk about the weather Yes No
Web hosting Sites that offer: Web hosting, Domain registration, Domain Whois, Web Hosting reviews, VPS Hosting, Colocation, Dedicated server hosting, LAAS, PAAS. Yes No
Web mail Sites that offer web mail as a service. Depends Content isn't checked
BrowseControl

Try BrowseControl for Free

Fully functional. Easy to use. Starting at $5 user/month

Screenshot of the URL filter from BrowseControl, CurrentWare's web filtering software

Web Category Filtering

 

  • Meet CIPA compliance by blocking categories of websites that are not age-appropriate such as porn
  • Effortlessly block millions of web pages across 100+ URL categories
  • Customize the website category database locally to suit the needs of your environment
  • Ensure employees only use the internet to access business sites
  • Easily block a particular category for some users while allowing it for others

URL Filtering

With the Allowed URLs List you can restrict internet access to only specific websites or exempt specific websites that are blocked by the Category Filtering feature.

With the Blocked URLs List you can block specific websites while allowing access to the rest of the internet.

  • Block (Blacklist) URLs to block users from accessing websites

  • Allow (Whitelist) URLs to set exceptions for websites you would like to allow

  • Create unique URL filtering lists for each group of users or devices

Screenshot of the URL filter from BrowseControl, CurrentWare's web filtering software
Screenshot of the URL filter from BrowseControl, CurrentWare's web filtering software

URL Categories Lookup Tool

 With BrowseControl’s web category lookup tool you can query the url categorization database to find out what URL categories a given website belongs to. 

URL categories can be customized locally to help tailor the web browsing reporting and web category filtering policies to fit your organization.

 

Present a Custom Block Screen Message

  • Block Message or Redirect
    Display a message or redirect users to another web page
  • Enforce Internet Use Policies
    Remind your users of your acceptable use policy
  • Request Access to Blocked Websites
    Optionally provide users with an access request link
Blocked website warning message that says "Your IT administrator has prevented you from browsing this URL. Request access"
BrowseControl

Try BrowseControl for Free

Fully functional. Easy to use. Starting at $5 user/month

Benefits of Web Filtering Tools

Paper document that says "Internet Usage Policy"

Enforce Acceptable Computer Use Policies

  • Policy Reminders: Redirect users from restricted websites to your internet use policy or a custom block page
  • Block Websites: Prevent access to websites that go against your acceptable computer use policies
  • Non-Compliance Alerts: Combine BrowseControl with BrowseReporter internet use monitoring software to get alerts of policy violations
An Ethernet router with five RJ45 cables connected to it

Block Bandwidth Hogs to Improve Network Availability

  • Block Bandwidth Hogs: Block Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and other unproductive bandwidth hogs
  • Restrict Unproductive Sites: Reduce unproductive web browsing to ensure bandwidth availability for work tasks
  • Discretionary Access: Selectively allow access to high-bandwidth sites on an as-needed basis
A woman in professional attire stares off-screen, distracted

Reduce Distractions to Improve Employee Productivity

  • Improve Focus: Block distracting websites and apps to keep your users focused on their tasks
  • Custom Internet Policies: Apply different policies for group of users or computers to avoid bottlenecks
  • Control Tech Use: Combine with BrowseReporter computer monitoring software for advanced awareness and control over technology usage
A group of three lawyers in formal attire

Protect Your Business From Compliance & Liability Risks

  • Prevent Software Piracy: Use the app blocker to prevent employees from launching specific applications
  • Block Inappropriate Content: Prevent users from accessing pornographic, hateful, or crude websites at work or school
  • Meet Compliance Requirements: Control internet use to secure your network against web-based threats and data loss to cloud storage sites/apps

Protect Against Web Security Threats

  • Download Blocker: Block file downloads such as executables, zipped files, and videos from the internet
  • Internet Off: Block the entire internet from being browsed for specific computers or employees
  • Malware Protection: Block malicious and high-risk websites with our frequently updated category filtering database
Cloud storage server

Prevent Data Theft & Leakage

  • Cloud DLP: Block unsanctioned cloud storage apps and sites to prevent employee data theft
  • Port Filtering: Block ports used for FTP, SCP, SFTP, etc. to prevent data from leaving the network
  • Block High-Risk Sites: Block other potential data egress points such as personal email platforms, torrenting sites, etc

CASE STUDY

Web Filtering Software Keeps Students & School Systems Safe From Internet-Based Threats

Exposing students to the digital world comes with a responsibility to protect them. Students love BrowseControl because it gives them a safe working environment and prevents potential bad actors from interrupting their educational experience.

Quote - "Students love BrowseControl because it gives them a safe working environment and prevents potential bad actors from interrupting their educational experience." G.A. College Instructor

BrowseControl Web Filtering Features

Category Filtering
Category Filtering

Block websites based on specific web content categories

URL Filter
URL Filter

Allowed list or Blocked list for
specific URLs

Application Blocker
Application Blacklisting

Block specific Windows
applications from launching

Download Filter
Block Downloads/Uploads

Prevent uploading and downloading based on file type

Port Filter
Port Filter

Close unused and high-risk
TCP/UDP ports

Customized Message
Customize Message

Display a customized warning
message on blocked websites

Bandwidth Tracker
Google Safe Search

Search engine filters prevent explicit results in search engines

Internet Scheduler
Time-Based Policies

Schedule internet access and control browsing based on time

Internet Off

Centralized Console

Manage all your users from the
centralized console with Active
Directory import or syncing

Internet Off

Platform Security

Protect your CurrentWare console
with 2FA, passwords, privilege
management, and more

Internet Off

Offsite Management

Extend onsite security policies to computers running outside the corporate network

Internet Off

SQL Server Supported

Database scaled for enterprise and
large business operations using
Microsoft SQL Server