# BlueCoat has SDMB categorized as Adult/Mature **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [April 29, 2011, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluecoat-has-sdmb-categorized-as-adult-mature/580105 "2011-04-29T02:22:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluecoat-has-sdmb-categorized-as-adult-mature/580105/1 "2011-04-29T02:22:54Z")
As of this morning, the workplace web filter BlueCoat has reclassified the SDMB as “Adult/Mature Content; Blogs/Personal Pages,” which means that I can no longer access the site from work. I submitted an appeal using their web form but unfortunately it was denied. The main [straightdope.com](http://straightdope.com) site is still accessible, so it’s just the message board that has been tagged as Adult. Given the fact that I can still see the forums at Something Awful (whose content is routinely far rougher than what is allowed here), it seems odd that we’re suddenly getting labeled as Adult based on what people are posting – my guess is that BlueCoat’s spiders stumbled across some sketchy ads from our seedy ad provider. However, that’s of course only a guess, so I’m hoping the admins can contact BlueCoat and find out what led to the new categorization and what, if anything, can be done to change it back to the usual Forums/Message Boards. Even if it’s too late to get off the BlueCoat blacklist (which would royally suck for me), it’s probably still worth exploring so as to avoid getting blocked by any of the other big web filters. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aca169/32.png) [@Red\_Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Skeezix)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluecoat-has-sdmb-categorized-as-adult-mature/580105/2 "2011-04-29T03:40:03Z")
I can confirm this. As of this morning, I have no access at work to this site. Although I’m not sure if it’s the blog/personal that’s triggering the workplace filter or the Adult content that’s triggering this filter. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluecoat-has-sdmb-categorized-as-adult-mature/580105/3 "2011-04-29T05:18:37Z")
> [@Red\_Skeezix](#): > > I can confirm this. As of this morning, I have no access at work to this site. Yep. Though in my case it kicked in mid-way through the evening ( Pacific Time ). ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluecoat-has-sdmb-categorized-as-adult-mature/580105/4 "2011-04-29T07:01:59Z")
Well “adult” I can understand, but “mature”? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluecoat-has-sdmb-categorized-as-adult-mature/580105/5 "2011-04-29T08:13:56Z")
It does seem a bizarre decision. I can understand spiders being misled but surely the appeal is human-arbitrated and it beggars belief that the Something Awful boards would pass muster and SDMB wouldn’t. Let’s hope Ed and his minions can do something because this will adversely affect a great many Dopers. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluecoat-has-sdmb-categorized-as-adult-mature/580105/6 "2011-04-29T12:00:16Z")
I’ve brought this to the attention of Ed and the admins, who I’m sure will look into it ASAP. Thanks for letting us know. ---
**Author:** ![Ed\_Zotti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluecoat-has-sdmb-categorized-as-adult-mature/580105/7 "2011-04-29T13:23:25Z")
Hm. Trying to figure out how you appeal this. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluecoat-has-sdmb-categorized-as-adult-mature/580105/8 "2011-04-29T13:31:07Z")
> [@](#): > > my guess is that BlueCoat’s spiders stumbled across some sketchy ads from our seedy ad provider. Yeah, I’ve always been worried about those ads from that giraffe forum. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluecoat-has-sdmb-categorized-as-adult-mature/580105/9 "2011-04-29T13:38:44Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Yeah, I’ve always been worried about those ads from that giraffe forum. Well, that giraffe is _totally_ neckked. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluecoat-has-sdmb-categorized-as-adult-mature/580105/10 "2011-04-29T13:44:54Z")
> [@Ed\_Zotti](#): > > Hm. Trying to figure out how you appeal this. If you go to this page: > **[Broadcom Inc. | Connecting Everything](https://www.broadcom.com/)** > > Broadcom Inc. is a global technology leader that designs, develops and supplies a broad range of semiconductor, enterprise software and security solutions. click on the “Categories” tab you’ll see a page that says this: > [@](#): > > If you feel your site has been improperly categorized, please visit: [sitereview.bluecoat.com](http://sitereview.bluecoat.com/) However, at the sitereview page, all they allow you to do is enter the name of their site so that they review it, as far as I can tell. You might need to talk to someone in customer support. ---
**Author:** ![Ed\_Zotti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluecoat-has-sdmb-categorized-as-adult-mature/580105/11 "2011-04-29T13:54:38Z")
I appealed through the same route that everybody uses - see: [http://sitereview.bluecoat.com/sitereview.jsp](http://sitereview.bluecoat.com/sitereview.jsp) If they have a separate portal for webmasters I haven’t been able to find it. Supposedly I’ll get a reply within a day. If we get turned down I’ll appeal to the higher-ups at BlueCoat, whoever they might be. If anyone has further knowledge of this process, let me know. ---
**Author:** ![Borborygmi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/borborygmi/32/217_2.png) [@Borborygmi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Borborygmi)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluecoat-has-sdmb-categorized-as-adult-mature/580105/12 "2011-04-29T14:20:23Z")
> [@Ed\_Zotti](#): > > I appealed through the same route that everybody uses - see: > > [Symantec Sitereview](http://sitereview.bluecoat.com/sitereview.jsp) > > If they have a separate portal for webmasters I haven’t been able to find it. Supposedly I’ll get a reply within a day. If we get turned down I’ll appeal to the higher-ups at BlueCoat, whoever they might be. If anyone has further knowledge of this process, let me know. Wait, you’re actively trying to quash the prospect of putting up with fewer damn posts from **Giraffe**? What is wrong with you? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluecoat-has-sdmb-categorized-as-adult-mature/580105/13 "2011-04-29T15:30:09Z")
Just did followed that link, and got: > [@](#): > > The page you want reviewed is [http://boards.straightdope.com](http://boards.straightdope.com) (check another site) > This page is currently categorized as Newsgroups/Forums > Last Time Rated/Reviewed: April 28, 2011 05:44:27 GMT > > It is important to note that new ratings or updates to existing ratings are part of a daily update cycle. Blue Coat Systems builds the update files at midnight UTC. > > Submissions reviewed before midnight UTC are processed in that day’s batch. Any submissions not reviewed before midnight UTC do not get processed until the following day. > > Since Blue Coat’s desktop client K9 and certain OEM partners update differently, ratings may differ from those of a Blue Coat SG as well as those present on the Site Review Tool. So it looks fixed… ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluecoat-has-sdmb-categorized-as-adult-mature/580105/14 "2011-04-29T15:54:27Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Just did followed that link, and got: > So it looks fixed… There! I _knew_ we weren’t mature! I mean really! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluecoat-has-sdmb-categorized-as-adult-mature/580105/15 "2011-04-29T15:55:03Z")
Glad to hear we’re back to getting the respect we [del]deserve[/del] desire. > [@Borborygmi](#): > > Wait, you’re actively trying to quash the prospect of putting up with fewer damn posts from **Giraffe**? What is wrong with you? But Giraffe posts are the glue that holds this place together! Wait, not glue. Something else gooey. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluecoat-has-sdmb-categorized-as-adult-mature/580105/16 "2011-04-29T15:55:49Z")
> [@fluiddruid](#): > > Glad to hear we’re back to getting the respect we [del]deserve[/del] desire. > > But Giraffe posts are the glue that holds this place together! > > Wait, not glue. Something else gooey. I thought we were just making the glue OUT OF giraffes. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluecoat-has-sdmb-categorized-as-adult-mature/580105/17 "2011-04-29T16:06:25Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Just did followed that link, and got: > So it looks fixed… It’s still blocked for me. I’ll also note that the date/time listed under Last Rating/Review is well before I noticed being blocked. It’s also before I submitted my appeal for reclassification, and was told that upon review it was denied due to adult content. So I’m not sure that info is completely up to date. **BigT** was kind enough to PM me a suggestion for a workaround, though, which works – the link [http://boardstest.straightdope.com/sdmb/](http://boardstest.straightdope.com/sdmb/) is not currently blocked. So other Dopers might want to use that while things get sorted out. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluecoat-has-sdmb-categorized-as-adult-mature/580105/18 "2011-04-29T16:12:46Z")
Interesting data point: I just typed in “[boards.straightdope.com](http://boards.straightdope.com)” into the BlueCoat review link that **Bricker** quoted and got the same result: the site is listed as Newsgroups/Forums. (With the same “last review/rated” timestamp.) However, when I type in “[Straight Dope Message Board - Your direct line to thousands of the smartest, hippest people on the planet, plus a few total dipsticks.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/)” it gives the rating that I report in my OP: Adult/Mature; Blogs/Personal Pages. The last rated/reviewed time stamp on that link is April 28, 2011 18:21:49 GMT. Not sure why the two would give different results, but that does pinpoint the SDMB as the source of the trouble rather than something else on the same domain… ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluecoat-has-sdmb-categorized-as-adult-mature/580105/19 "2011-04-29T16:13:46Z")
For Pete’s sake. Isn’t it obvious that it’s all Slug’s fault? Talk about Things You Can’t Unsee! ---
**Author:** ![Stormcrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/0ea827/32.png) [@Stormcrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stormcrow)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluecoat-has-sdmb-categorized-as-adult-mature/580105/20 "2011-04-29T16:21:16Z")
$10 bucks says it was the word “dope” that did it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluecoat-has-sdmb-categorized-as-adult-mature/580105.md?page=2)