Help Needed: Misclassified Content Filtering Block

[Huy_Nguyen]

Hi Meraki community,

Our company's website is unexpectedly blocked by content filtering systems under the porn and adult content categories. However, our website contains no explicit or adult material. This block is causing access restrictions and disrupting our operations. How can we resolve this issue?

Has anyone encountered a similar problem? How did you address it? Any recommended steps or best practices?

We have already contacted the content filtering provider with evidence, but we welcome additional insights to expedite the resolution process.

Any experiences or tips on successfully requesting recategorization for a website? We appreciate your input.

Also, if there are temporary solutions or workarounds to ensure uninterrupted access while awaiting resolution, please share your recommendations.

Thank you for your assistance and valuable insights.

[Huy_Nguyen]

[Brash · Accepted solution]

You can submit a content category dispute with Cisco Talos

https://documentation.meraki.com/MX/Content_Filtering_and_Threat_Protection/Content_Filtering_Powere...

Beyond that, for your own systems, you can add your URL to the whitelist in content filtering.

[a5it]

I understand how frustrating it can be to have your company's website incorrectly categorized, especially when it disrupts your operations. Here are a few steps you can follow to resolve this issue:

1. Contact the Filtering Provider: You've already taken this step, which is great. Make sure to provide them with enough evidence to support your claim. This could include screenshots of your website or explanations of its content.

2. Appeal to Multiple Providers: If your website is being blocked by multiple content filtering systems, you may need to appeal to each provider individually. Different systems may use different categorization criteria, so it's important to reach out to all relevant providers.

3. Temporary Whitelisting: As a temporary solution, you could whitelist your website on your local network's content filtering settings. This will allow access to the website until the incorrect categorization issue is resolved. However, be aware that this will only work for devices on your local network.

4. Communication: Keep your employees informed about the situation. If they're aware of the issue, they can help by using personal devices or home networks to access the website if necessary.