# The Oddest Things Blocked By My Office Internet Filter **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 6, 2012, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oddest-things-blocked-by-my-office-internet-filter/643204 "2012-12-06T17:29:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oddest-things-blocked-by-my-office-internet-filter/643204/21 "2012-12-07T02:37:47Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I cant access a site about the Ottawa Senators hockey team. > > [www.senatorsextra.com/](http://www.senatorsextra.com/) > I have no idea why? 😉 Leafs fans can only be exposed to a REAL hockey team _gradually_. The shock could destroy them after all those years of brainwashing by Ballard, Burke, Ferguson, etc., etc. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oddest-things-blocked-by-my-office-internet-filter/643204/22 "2012-12-07T03:14:32Z")
> [@LC\_Strawhouse](#): > > Leafs fans can only be exposed to a REAL hockey team _gradually_. The shock could destroy them after all those years of brainwashing by Ballard, Burke, Ferguson, etc., etc. What in the fucking hell is your problem anyway? You have been constantly following my posts here and commenting negatively on Phil Kessel and the Toronto Maple Leafs for something like a year now. You come out of the blue in unrelated topics and insult me and the Toronto Maple Leaf franchise over, and over for no apparent reason. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15724098&postcount=18](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15724098&postcount=18) [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15588957&postcount=20](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15588957&postcount=20) [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15497314&postcount=14](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15497314&postcount=14) [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15364602&postcount=56](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15364602&postcount=56) [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15364702&postcount=59](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15364702&postcount=59) [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15371281&postcount=23](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15371281&postcount=23) ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oddest-things-blocked-by-my-office-internet-filter/643204/23 "2012-12-07T03:37:26Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > What in the fucking hell is your problem anyway? You have been constantly following my posts here and commenting negatively on Phil Kessel and the Toronto Maple Leafs for something like a year now. You come out of the blue in unrelated topics and insult me and the Toronto Maple Leaf franchise over, and over for no apparent reason. > > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15724098&postcount=18](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15724098&postcount=18) > > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15588957&postcount=20](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15588957&postcount=20) > > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15497314&postcount=14](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15497314&postcount=14) > > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15364602&postcount=56](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15364602&postcount=56) > > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15364702&postcount=59](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15364702&postcount=59) > > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15371281&postcount=23](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15371281&postcount=23) In fact you were warned in one of these, or numerous other posts, to knock it off. Maybe it’s time for you to be banned. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oddest-things-blocked-by-my-office-internet-filter/643204/24 "2012-12-07T04:06:37Z")
**LC Strawhouse** , you seem to have a problem with this team, and with **Leaffan**. Knock it off. Consider this an official instruction – which I am about to apprise my fellow moderators of. Next time it will be a warning. **twickster** , MPSIMS moderator ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oddest-things-blocked-by-my-office-internet-filter/643204/25 "2012-12-07T04:09:59Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Not an office internet filter, but somewhat related: > > My wife was trying to register on a website a few years ago, but she was being automatically turned down. The reason being given was something like “inappropriate username.” Stumped us for a bit, until I realized that her (Japanese) last name had “shit” in it. I had a problem like that in reverse. An HR woman was trying to contact me an offer me a short term assignment. She kept trying to email me, but I wasn’t getting them. (She finally got a hold of me via phone.) The problem: her name is Sharon Hitzel, and the school’s email format is first initial then four letters of the last name. So, her email was [deleted], and my email filter (that I didn’t realize was turned on) objected to an email address with “shit” in it. ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oddest-things-blocked-by-my-office-internet-filter/643204/26 "2012-12-07T04:31:53Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > What in the fucking hell is your problem anyway? You have been constantly following my posts here and commenting negatively on Phil Kessel and the Toronto Maple Leafs for something like a year now. You come out of the blue in unrelated topics and insult me and the Toronto Maple Leaf franchise over, and over for no apparent reason. Well I _thought_ I was being very amusing with a subtle intellectual edge, a lovable gentlemanly rogue with a twinkle in his eye, like one of the male leads in a Jane Austen novel. Oh well… ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oddest-things-blocked-by-my-office-internet-filter/643204/27 "2012-12-07T04:58:10Z")
Lingerie. Really. Now unless you’re under the age of 12, I doubt there are many cube farmers who regularly fap at work while looking at bras and panties. Maybe I’m just getting cynical in my old age. ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oddest-things-blocked-by-my-office-internet-filter/643204/28 "2012-12-07T06:42:05Z")
When I was a Federal employee I was once blocked from a web site about geography. The reason was “education”. I might have accidentally learned something I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oddest-things-blocked-by-my-office-internet-filter/643204/29 "2012-12-07T07:23:29Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > In fact you were warned in one of these, or numerous other posts, to knock it off. Maybe it’s time for you to be banned. Two thumbs up, would laugh again. You are actually suggesting bannination for someone who has teased you half a dozen times about a hockey team? ---
**Author:** ![FlyByNight512](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/82dd89/32.png) [@FlyByNight512](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyByNight512)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oddest-things-blocked-by-my-office-internet-filter/643204/30 "2012-12-07T07:49:48Z")
> [@tellyworth](#): > > Are offices really using filters that catch simple strings in domain names, in 2012? The commercial content filters I’m aware of don’t work that way (they’re certainly prone to errors, but they look at the content, not just the url). My company uses a free service via Opendns. They’re using strings in domain names among other things. I believe there’s a feedback system where they collect info on sites that their users unblock and/or report as miscatagorized to refine their info. It’s working pretty well for us. Of course, we have personnel who know WTF they’re doing when it comes to setting up this stuff. We’ve had maybe half a dozen unblock requests for false positives in as many months, mostly to small sites with very porn-y names. I haven’t tested how robust it is for false negatives. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oddest-things-blocked-by-my-office-internet-filter/643204/31 "2012-12-07T13:54:02Z")
> [@Iggy](#): > > I could not access the CPR videos on a website. Our department director referred us to that site for training purposes. Reason was a general block on streaming videos. A filter designed for use in offices should block streaming video out of the box. I think it’s more often than bot reasonable to assume someone watching video isn’t working. Provided, of course, that when the assumption is not reasonable, or reasonable but wrong, that can be turned off. > [@Ruby](#): > > Lingerie. Really. > > Now unless you’re under the age of 12, I doubt there are many cube farmers who regularly fap at work while looking at bras and panties. Or at all, really. Though at my old job, when the filters were installed, someone went to the boss and complained that he could no longer look at porn at his desk. I was able to get to Jenna Jameson’s Web site just fine, but that was for work-related reasons. ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oddest-things-blocked-by-my-office-internet-filter/643204/32 "2012-12-07T14:59:45Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > In fact you were warned in one of these, or numerous other posts, to knock it off. Maybe it’s time for you to be banned. Got it! Quick question for ya though. Am I allowed to opine on the state of the Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey Franchise and/or specific players in other ways on this board, or will that be taken as a personal insult too? Am I allowed to do it as long as I’m not directly replying to your post or a thread you start? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oddest-things-blocked-by-my-office-internet-filter/643204/33 "2012-12-07T15:02:37Z")
> [@LC\_Strawhouse](#): > > Got it! Quick question for ya though. Am I allowed to opine on the state of the Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey Franchise and/or specific players in other ways on this board, or will that be taken as a personal insult too? Am I allowed to do it as long as I’m not directly replying to your post or a thread you start? That’s not a question for him, that’s a question for me. Ask it in ATMB rather than continuing to hijack this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oddest-things-blocked-by-my-office-internet-filter/643204/34 "2012-12-07T15:22:15Z")
> [@AWB](#): > > I had a problem like that in reverse. An HR woman was trying to contact me an offer me a short term assignment. She kept trying to email me, but I wasn’t getting them. (She finally got a hold of me via phone.) The problem: her name is Sharon Hitzel, and the school’s email format is first initial then four letters of the last name. So, her email was [deleted], and my email filter (that I didn’t realize was turned on) objected to an email address with “shit” in it. I took out the email address you posted…instead of posting the actual email, you could just let everyone know it began with “shitz”. This allows you to get the point across yet keep her email private. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oddest-things-blocked-by-my-office-internet-filter/643204/35 "2012-12-07T23:55:15Z")
> [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](#): > > Two thumbs up, would laugh again. You are actually suggesting bannination for someone who has teased you half a dozen times about a hockey team? Hockey = serious business. (And GO PENS!!! FUCK BETTMAN!) 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2012, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oddest-things-blocked-by-my-office-internet-filter/643204/36 "2012-12-08T16:43:47Z")
I was once subject to a filter that, for some reason, blocked [nfl.com](http://nfl.com), but _didn’t_ block any of the individual NFL team sites. And it didn’t have any problems with [mlb.com](http://mlb.com). Just the NFL main site. My only guess was that [nfl.com](http://nfl.com) fell under the “gambling” filter. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oddest-things-blocked-by-my-office-internet-filter/643204/37 "2012-12-08T17:56:23Z")
A local church always set up an elaborate nativity scene every Christmas, so before leaving work, I tried to hit the website to see what time it started. Blocked: religious material. I’m glad that my company didn’t subject me to a church webpage. Seriously, though. These companies that treat their employees like children need their heads straight. ---
**Author:** ![NIKI50](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/958977/32.png) [@NIKI50](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NIKI50)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2012, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oddest-things-blocked-by-my-office-internet-filter/643204/38 "2012-12-09T09:10:58Z")
At my previous job the filters were extremely strict, one day there was a pen left at my desk with a website printed on it. I typed it in just to see what would happen. It was a very graphic tutoring lesson on cunnilingus. I laughed at the absurdity of their policies. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2012, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oddest-things-blocked-by-my-office-internet-filter/643204/39 "2012-12-09T12:30:38Z")
Someone used ‘specialist’ as part of his occupation and mail was dropped – ‘cialis’ is a substring. Off and on (including at this very moment) the Wikipedia biography for the King of Thailand redirects me (in Thailand) to a government censorship site. > [@NIKI50](#): > > At my previous job the filters were extremely strict, one day there was a pen left at my desk with a website printed on it. I typed it in just to see what would happen. It was a very graphic tutoring lesson on cunnilingus. I laughed at the absurdity of their policies. Did you figure out who left the pen on your desk? I suspect there was an intended message, but it wasn’t about Internet filtering policies. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2012, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oddest-things-blocked-by-my-office-internet-filter/643204/40 "2012-12-09T13:08:34Z")
I used to work for a school district and once found the SDMB banned. I contacted IT to ask why and in a couple of days it was un-banned with no explanation. No idea why. By the way I think talking of hockey should be prohibited as long as THEY AREN’T PLAYING DAMMIT. (suffering withdrawal here…) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oddest-things-blocked-by-my-office-internet-filter/643204.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oddest-things-blocked-by-my-office-internet-filter/643204.md?page=3)