Q&A: Web filtering

Tim Lloyd is the Founder and Managing Director of CensorNet, a company that develops Internet security products that filter and remove offensive material found online. In this interview he discusses Web filtering.

When someone mentions Web filtering, people usually think about Big Brother and wonder if it should be deployed in the enterprise at all. On the other hand, employers want to minimize malware problems and having employees focus on work during all office hours doesn't hurt as well. In your opinion, what are the pros and cons in having Web filtering in a company?

I think the pros far outway the cons these days. A few years ago, companies were concerned about pornography and the surrounding legal ramifications of having images downloaded and stored on the network. Now the concerns are broader, covering security issues such as malware and phishing, timewasting, Web 2.0 tools and bandwidth usage. Companies need to embrace the Web more than ever to grow their businesses but there has to be a balance - a completely blocked policy frustrates staff and denies the business any value from online activities (such as HR using Facebook to review potential employees, your sales manager using LinkedIn to identify new prospects and the marketing team using Twitter to promote your brand). A completely open policy leaves the business feeling exposed and out of control.


I believe an effective Web filter will allow the business to find the right balance. One of the cons that people talk about is the impact on performance - that Web access will slow down if you install a filter. The reality is that with the computing power available today and the ability to manage more effectively streaming audio/video and use of bandwidth, the overall network performance should increase with the installation of a Web filter.

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