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Digital Literacy

Jim Awofadeju
Jim Awofadeju
4,097 Points
Posted by Jim Awofadeju
Jim Awofadeju
4,097 Points

I have a question about how Internet filters work. Do Internet filters interfere with the server-client response?

When an Internet user wants to block content or websites that are inappropriate, they usually put in place some sort of filter. Do filters not allow the server to respond to a client's request for certain content? A client can always make a request for a server to respond to, but with filters in place the response to the client (i.e. website on the screen) will not display. Am I right or is there more to how Internet filters work?

2 Answers

Domnick Knowlton
Domnick Knowlton
Courses Plus Student 3,177 Points

There are multiple ways you can achieve ways to block certain websites. The most common is blocking DNS. They block DNS because a website's IP changes significantly. Say you type in www.google.com and you block the DNS (Dynamic IP) you send the request, but your router will block the ping that google will send back, and your computer won't receive that IP.

Short answer <b> Yes </b>

Lee Burchfield
Lee Burchfield
10,475 Points
Lee Burchfield
Lee Burchfield
10,475 Points

With the filter than I've used most often, the firewall redirects http requests to the filtering server for inspection and if it is a request for a blocked URL the traffic is dropped and a page returned instead that tells the end user that the site is blocked. So I don't think the client's http request ever reaches the target server.