St. Mark’s has an obligation to filter and record certain types of internet traffic entering or originating from it’s network. We record all inbound and outbound internet traffic and associate it with a user account or specific device, per our Internet acceptable use policy.
At this time, the only content categories that are actively blocked are as follows.
- Pornography
- Gambling
- Hacking/Malware/Phishing
- Peer-to-Peer networking
The filtering system uses a number of mechanisms to determine how a site is categorized. Basic URL filters make the first pass at a site, but then active content filtering does a “deep” look at the content being delivered and determines how to classify it. Because content can vary, it is possible to be allowed to access a “main site” but be blocked while attempting to access specific areas of content.
All decisions to block or unblock content are made by the senior administration. Specifically a combination of the Head of school, the AD Team, the Dean of Faculty and the Dean of Students.
If you believe a site is incorrectly categorized, or needs to be allowed for academic reasons, please submit a helpdesk ticket and it will be submitted for review by the administration.
