Safe Search Enforcement
Get started with Safe Search Enforcement by learning
about the safe search settings for a few search providers and two
methods of enforcing enforce safe search
Many search engines have a safe search setting that
filters out adult images and videos in search query return traffic.
You can enable the firewall to block search results if the end user
is not using the strictest safe search settings, and you can also
transparently enable safe search for your users. The firewall supports
safe search enforcement for the following search providers: Google,
Yahoo, Bing, Yandex, and YouTube. Consider that safe search is a
best-effort setting and service providers do not guarantee that
it works with every website, and search providers classify sites
as safe or unsafe (not Palo Alto Networks).
To use this feature you must enable the Safe Search
Enforcement option in a URL Filtering profile and attach
it to a Security policy rule.The firewall then blocks any matching
search query return traffic that is not using the strictest safe
search settings. There are two methods to enforce safe search:
Block
Search Results when Strict Safe Search is not Enabled—When
an end user attempts to perform a search without first enabling
the strictest safe search settings, the firewall blocks the search
query results and displays the URL Filtering Safe Search Block Page.
By default, this page will provide a URL to the search provider settings
for configuring safe search.
Transparently
Enable Safe Search for Users—When an end user attempts to
perform a search without first enabling the strict safe search settings,
the firewall blocks the search results with an HTTP 503 status code
and redirects the search query to a URL that includes the safe search
parameters. You enable this functionality by importing a new URL
Filtering Safe Search Block Page containing the JavaScript for rewriting
the search URL to include the strict safe search parameters. In
this configuration, users will not see the block page, but will
instead be automatically redirected to a search query that enforces
the strictest safe search options. This safe search enforcement
method is supported for Google, Yahoo, and Bing searches.
As safe search settings differ by search provider, get started
by reviewing the different safe search implementations. Then, enforce
safe search in one of two ways: block search results when safe search
is disabled, or transparently enable safe search for your users.
