Same old same old. I remember back when some schools blocked Wikipedia article on Dick Chaney. Why the porn blocker would block any url with dick in it.
This is what happens when the schools are so broke that instead of getting proper IT they have to get the cheapest blocker possible and then just dial up the blocking to 11.
I did IT for a school district and staying on top of proxies was a game of whack a mole. I’d do it because I was asked too, but kids will find a new proxy that works. And the little bastards are more clever than we give them credit for.
My school even blocked archive.org because of this. Good luck checking like ⅛ of Wikipedia references.
You can’t watch most porn or YouTube videos on the Wayback Machine anyways…
Images are available but it loads way slower than via a VPN, especially if the page isn’t already archived and you need to save it yourself.
In my school in Germany, all computers were always set up in a way such that the teacher could look at any screen immediately. If a minor accesses a porn site, they’ll tell you by giggling, so what’s the need for filtering, anyway?
They also block adblockers (at least in my area). So I’m trying to find a good laptop for my sister to use next year.
In case it helps you, I’ve found that the uMatrix extension has been a great way to auto-block all Javascripts while still being able to permit just the ones needed to work past a site or network’s limitations.
There’s a little bit of a learning curve at first, but nothing too bad. Using the extension also feels empowering, because it gives you much more control than just a flat ‘block everything’ anti-ad approach.
No the thing is, the school district in my area uses Chromebooks and they’re locked down to the point you can’t download extensions or use another browser.