PORTUS Content Filter Categories
Access to the World Wide Web is controlled by the PORTUS HTTP proxy using the PORTUS Content Filter List. The PORTUS Content Filter provides high quality comprehensive URL blocking with dozens of predefined categories. These lists are easily customized and categories can be selected with the click of the mouse. The format of the lists is published allowing local customization including the editing of existing lists and the creation of new categories.
The PORTUS software is based on pioneering filtering technology that has been in production on a world-wide basis for more than 6 years. During this time the filtering list has undergone extensive expansion, and now can block millions of undesirable URL’s. The list contains the host/domain-name, path and the server IP-address. Unlike many other content filters, unnecessary blocking of content is prevented when multiple domains are hosted on the same server.
Internet access is controlled through use of the PORTUS content list. This list is updated by experts on a continuing basis with one or more updates posted each week. Highly automated procedures are used to develop and refine the list. All the changes are reviewed by Internet experts and educators to assure quality and avoid unnecessary blocking. The list contains the server IP-address, domain name and paths. Unlike other lists this prevents unnecessary blocking when multiple domains are hosted on the same server. To simplify administration the Content Lists are organized into 39 categories:
Alternate Journals
Anonomizers
Art
Banners
Blogs
Chat
Criminal
Cults
Culture
Dating
Drugs
Entertainment
ExtremeGambling
Games
Hacker
Hate
Humor
Investing
Job Search
Lifestyle
Malware
Merchandising
MP3
News
Pay-to-SurfPeer-to-Peer
Personal Pages
Phishing
Politics
Radio
Religion
Self-Help
Sex
Sports
Terrorist
Travel
Usenet News
Webmail
Descriptions of each category follow.
PORTUS Content Filter Category Descriptions
Alternative journals
The Alternative Journals category includes on-line magazines that are not directly associated with mainstream magazines. This includes magazines covering Alternate Medicine, Astrology, New Age, ... Spirituality etc.
Examples
Healing Net: Is an electronic journal covering new age consciousness, holistic health, environmental issues, metaphysics and the paranormal. It contains many links to similar sites.
Healing Child Abuse: Is a meeting place for people who are concerned with healing themselves and the world -- from child abuse.
The Journal of Non-Locality and Remote Mental Interactions
An online journal for parapsychology.
Spectrum: A Digest of the Latest News and Discoveries in Alternative Medicine and Healthy Living.
AnonomizersThe anon category includes anonomizer sites that are designed to allow users to bypass content filters.
Examples
noproxy.com It provides anonymous access to any site the browser chooses.
Art
The Art category includes URL's dealing with Art, Art Galleries, Art History, Art Museums, Artists, Architectural History, Photography, and museums.
Examples
Ancient City of Athens This is a photographic archive of the archaeological and architectural remains of ancient Athens (Greece).
Art History Network A resource center for Art History, Archaeology and Architecture resources on the web.
Flamenco: Artists and Events Links to artists' pages, events and other Flamenco information.
WebMuseum There are dozens of Web Museums around the world contain famous paintings, and related information.
Banners
The Banners list contains sites that specialize in the distribution of banner advertisements. Some of these sites are automatically linked to when you use one of the major search engines. They collect personal information about your web activities which is a clear violation of privacy.
Examples
DoubleClick DoubleClick is an Internet advertising solutions company that provides advertising support Web publishers and Web advertisers.
BlogsThe Blogs list contains web Log sites that are used to publish personal thoughts on various topics of interest to the person who maintains the log.
Examples
redlegnation.com A blog site focused on the Cincinnati Reds Major League baseball team.
ChatWeb based chat rooms allow people to converse online over common interests. Chat rooms can be found that cover all known topics. This does not include IRC chat rooms.
Examples
The Beach House As they put it, "join the crowd in the Party Room, or walk out On the Beach, lay back in the sand, and enjoy a Margarita with your friends... ".
Bianca's Smut Shack This site contains adult content.
Chattown Chattown hosts multiple chat rooms organized into interest areas such as sports, college students, Adults, Teens, Romance, Lifestyles, etc.
Cyberlounge Cyberlounge has multiple chat rooms that support up to 40 people as well as multiple private chatrooms for one-on-one conversations. Certainly not appropriate for most organizations.
Criminal
The Criminal category includes URL's that promote criminal activity including instructions on how to commit criminal acts. This includes instruction on how to make bombs, pick locks, hack computers, commit burglary, murders, and more.
Examples
The Right Hook They sell books on demolition techniques, espionage, investigation, knife fighting, lock picking, silencers, smuggling, sniping, exotic weapons and more.
Spectre Press They specialize in the fields of Electronic Warfare, Hacking, Nuclear Devices, Phreaking, Energy, Spy Weaponry, Virii, Banking and Personal Defense. Some of their products are controversial. They also describe illegal methods in precise detail. They claim to have the world's most dangerous catalog.
The Secrets of Lockpicking This site contains details on how to pick many different types of locks.
The Spy Company They sell bugging and counter bugging equipment. Secure phones, voice changers and more.
Cults
The Cults category includes URL's that reference cults or the occult.
Examples
The Aethierius Society An international spiritual brotherhood that uses the teachings of the Cosmic Masters to Heal the World.
Heavens gate This is the official web site of the cult that committed mass suicide with the arrival of the Hale-Bopp comet.
On-Line Guide to Major Cults Name speaks for itself.
Charles Manson This site is billed as a real source for Manson thought.
The Satanic Network The gateway to the Satanic Internet.
Culture
The Culture category includes online information regarding classics, plays, literature, live music, museums, philosophy etc.
Examples
Ancient Greek Theater It origins and authors.
The Broadway Theater Archive This site contains a collection of drama and comedy on film. You'll find a complete searchable database of film titles, actors, and directors.
Clifton Waller Barrett Library of American Literature The collection takes as its province one hundred and seventy five years of American literature, from 1775 to 1950.
Top Bestsellers This site contains bestseller news, reviews, trivia, and a composite index of all major bestseller lists that is updated weekly
Dating
The Dating category includes URL's that are related to dating and personnel relationships. Included are personal advertisements, online dating services, personal advice columns, swinger clubs etc..
Examples
Blind Date A third party can type in two peoples e-mail addresses, time, date, and place and the two will receive invitations by e-mail.
College Dating This site includes profiles and pictures of college students, plus a chat room.
Jimbo's Big Book of Dating A humorous look at dating rituals.
Unique Personal Ads The starting point for people seeking to meet other singles for dating, romance and relationships on online.
Drugs
The Drugs category includes URL's that provide information on the purchase and use of illegal drugs, sports enhancement drugs banned by the Olympics, NFL, NBA and recreational drugs.
Examples
Heretik's Hemp Page A page dedicated to the legalization of cannabis for both medical and recreational use, accompanied by a comprehensive list of links.
RecPharm Database Database of Recreational drugs
Entertainment
The Entertainment category includes URL's providing information on the Entertainment Industry. This includes amusement parks, clubs, hobbies, music, movies, television. This also includes fan clubs, personal pages of movie and TV shows and showing times for movie theaters.
Examples
Box Office Report Statistics for the movie fanatic.
Cinemark A listing of show times at all their nationwide locations.
Fox Movies Information on 20th Century Fox's latest releases.
The Terminator Name any actor or actress and this site will construct the shortest list of links that terminates with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
TV Guide On-line version of TV Guide.
ExtremeThe Extreme category includes URL's that deal with excessive violence, mutilation, child pornography, extremely gory and horrific subjects. This material is inappropriate in the work place and schools.
Examples
Pixman's Vault of Porn Pix The title says it all.
Chip's Bazarite This site contains child pornography, pictures of cadavers, mutilate body parts and more.
GamblingThe Gambling category includes URL's that offer bingo, bookmaker odds, gaming, and other forms of gambling.
Examples
Bugsy Online Casino Games, and betting lines.
Live Casino Online Billed as the Microsoft of the Casino software industry.
Los Vegas Casino Online This site offers Black Jack, Video Poker, Slot Machines, Sport Betting and more.
On-line Casino and Sports Book The title says it all.
GamesThe Games category includes URL's containing information on board games, role-playing games, computer games and interactive WEB games.
Examples
Age of the Throne An online adventure in 17th century Paris supporting hundreds of online users.
Archmage A web-based strategy game where you play the role of an Archmage with the goal of dominating the world.
Armageddon MUD An online Multiple User Domain (MUD) fantasy game on the surface of a harsh desert world.
Internet Game Network Multiplayer java games and chat.
Multiplayer Mayhem A source of information on a variety of online games and software.
HackerThe Hacker category includes URL's of sites that contain hacker tools. This includes Denial-of-Service tools, network scanning tools, viruses, worms and descriptions of how to use.
Examples
Active Matrix's Hideaway This site contains hundreds of hacking links, text files on phreaking, unix, newbie tutorials, security bugs, privacy information, programming, essays, and more.
L0pht Heavy Industries A page devoted to hacking.
Hate
The Hate category includes URL's that contain information that promotes hatred and violence directed at specific groups or individuals.
Examples
Christian Bible Study Org An antisemitic site.
Aryan Nation
Klu Klux Klan
Nationalist Socialist Movement
Humor
The Humor category includes URL's of sites focused on humor. This includes comic pages, comedy clubs, jokes.
Examples
College Humor A collection of humor from MIT.
The Dilbert Zone The www.unitedmedia.com/comics/dirbert site is in the top ten in usage on the Internet. If you deem this page of value you can simply remove it from the list.
Disgruntled "The Business Magazine For People Who Work For A Living" takes a look at the darker side of the world of work.
Paul Taylor America's Public Offender. Your source for politically incorrect humor, naked babes, and commentaries no one else has the balls to sign their name to.
Tasteless Jokes A 1001 tasteless jokes.
Investing
The Investment category includes URL's that deal with personal investing. This includes money management forums, mutual funds, portfolio management, stock trading and stock quotes.
Examples
Prudential Securities This site contains information for constructing a portfolio based on research from their strategists and analysts.
Smith & Barney The Smith and Barney Mutual Fund family.
The 50 Best Financial Websites This site has reviews of the most useful investing, money-management and big-ticket commerce sites.
Job Search
The Job Search category includes URL's related to a Job Search. This includes resume writing, interviewing, career changing, classified advertising, job data bases and corporate job openings.
Examples
Austin Online Job Fair The premier web source for Silicon Gulch a.k.a. Austin.
CareerMosiac CareerMosaic, the leading employment site on the web, has thousands of job postings and resumes, hundreds of companies, special sections for college students, industry specific sites, and more.
200 Cover Letters For Job Hunters This site contains 200 sample letters, plus detailed instructions.
Engineering Jobs A national index of engineering and high tech jobs, resumes, and resources.
Lifestyle
The Lifestyle category includes URL's related to personal lifestyles. This includes gay and lesbian discussions, straight men's groups, generation-X, nudist, senior citizen clubs, transgender, vegetarian.
Examples
Alternative Lifestyle Student Organization A gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered student group.
Jewish Vegan This site promotes the practice of a vegan lifestyle within the Torah laws, both written and oral.
Lifestyle Center of America This site assists client with lifestyle changes in nutrition, and exercise in order to prevent or reverse disease.
Lifestyle Online 1000's of video's, magazines, books, national personal ad contacts, transformation products, restraint equipment, XXX toys, and more.
Naturism This site offers information about clothes-free clubs, resorts, beaches, hikes, cruises and more
Vegetarianism This site has information on vegetarianism, non-violence, health and karma as well as arguments.
World Guide to Vegetarianism This site contains a listing of vegetarian and vegetarian-friendly restaurants, stores, organizations, services, etc.
MalwareThe Malware category includes URL's of sites known to distribute adware and spyware.
Examples
ad112.popupad.net Pop up add server.
adserver.newtimes.com Ad server for new times.
banners.sextracer.com
Merchandising
The Merchandising category includes URL's used for the sale of merchandise and services intended for personal consumption. This includes, clothing, personal accessories, appliances, pets, sporting goods. This list does not include business supplies or business-to-business selling.
Examples
Ebay On-line auction site
LL Bean Online store for clothing, sporting gear, sporting and travel apparel.
Sothebys Auction site for exclusive items.
Victorias Secret Victoria's Secret online store for lingerie, apparel, fragrances, and bath collections.
Virtually Everything Mall A virtual marketplace brought to you by Innovative Internet Marketing Solutions. VE features home pages of companies of all sizes and all industries.
MP3The MP3 category includes URL's of sites that contain MP3 files.
Examples
Britney Spears To You A Britney Spears Audio site.
Cracker Soul This site has 76 minutes of audio and 4 videos of songs from the May 3, 2002 show at Richards on Richards in Vancouver.
News
The News category includes URL's of traditional news sources including online news, new work news, major trade publications, business journals and medical journals.
Examples
CNN
Journal of the American Medical Assoc.
USA Today
The Wall Street Journal
Pay-to-SurfThe Pay-to-Surf category contains URL's for sites that pay you to surf the net.
Examples
paysu.com
Peer-to-PeerThe Peer-to-Peer category contains URL's for sites that that provide downloading of peer-to-peer file sharing programs. It also blocks sites that coordinate the sharing of files.
Examples
bearshare A Napster alternative for getting music and videos.
gnutella
PersonalThe Personal category includes URL's of sites containing personal interests and recreational activities of individuals.
Examples
Martial Arts There are hundreds of sites for martial arts training.
Personal Exhibits Personal exhibits for artists.
Personal Home Pages Thousands of family and group home pages.
Wed on Web Personal wedding pages
PhishingThe Phishing category includes URL's of sites known to be phishing sites. Phishing is the act of sending an e-mail to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft. The e-mail directs the user to visit a Web site where they are asked to update personal information, such as passwords and credit card, social security, and bank account numbers, that the legitimate organization already has.
Examples
Often these are just IP addresses that do not resolve to a host name.
Politics
The Politics category contains URL's which cover political topics.
Examples
All Things Political An alternative look at Washington from the citizen's perspective from the Washington Weekly.
Britannica An in-depth briefing on global conflict hot spots, covering history and causes of ethnic hatred and violence.
Hebron Institute for Political and Religious Studies Commentaries on the Palestinian Authority, Israel, and the Occupied Territories from a Palestinian point of view.
Mideast Peace Process Views from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Nazis Among Us A look at the ever growing threat of Nazism in to days society.
Carnal California Abortion and Reproductive Action League
Radio
The Radio category contains URL's that permit the downloading of streaming music. Most sites contained in Windows Media Player fit this category.
Religion
The Religion category contains URL's which cover various religious topics.
Examples
Analysis on World Religion, the Bible and Atheism Includes information about various religions, Biblical history and language, science, and atheism.
Association of Reincarnation Inherit your fortune yourself when you are reborn.
Bahá'ís Magazine A profile of the Bahá'í faith and its worldwide community.
Goat and Candle An online newsletter for Pagans around the world.
Islam Online News and information about Islam and its civilizations.
Pakistani Hindu Patrika A magazine for Hindus from all over the world but with a Pakistani Hindu perspective. In English and Urdu.
Vipassana Tribune Subscription-based newsletter published by the Buddhist Wisdom Center.
Wabash Center This site seeks to enhance and strengthen teaching in theology and religion in North American theological schools, colleges and universities.
Self-Help
The Self-Help category includes URL's that include information aimed at improving an individuals well-being. This includes new medications, support groups and therapies.
Examples
Divorce care
TeenHelp
Sex
The Sex category contains more than 500,000 URL's that contain strong sexually orientated material including, pictures, videos. This includes soft and hardcore pornography, child pornography, sado-masochism, bestiality and more. Thousands of the site names are too explicit to include in this document.
Examples
Hustler
Penthouse
Playboy
Sports
The Sports category includes URL's that deal with sports related information. This includes sports discussions, sports merchandise, sports scores, sports teams.
Examples
AllSports
ESPNET
Pro-Football Expert
SportsLIne USA
Terrorist
The Terrorist category includes URL's that give detailed information regarding how to commit terrorist acts.
Examples
Terrorist Organizations On The Net Links to terrorists, freedom fighters, propagandists and mercenaries on the Net.
Travel
The Travel category includes URL's containing information regarding travel and travel related activities. This includes reservation services, travel guides etc.
Examples
Arthur Frommer Encyclopedia of Travel containing bargain tips, message boards, and an online magazine.
History Channel Traveler A guide to help you put some history into your next trip. From Civil War to pop culture sites.
Travelocity Site to make airfare, hotel and car reservations. Discover low fares, hotel discounts, and exciting vacation packages.
Usenet News
The Usenet News category includes URL's that pertain to Usenet News groups.
Examples
Bahnhof Liberty News Totally uncensored news-groups.
Deja Contains more than 890,000 user ratings of 39,000 products in 1,000 categories.
ZippoNews
Webmail
The webmail list blocks sites that permit users to send, receive and download mail and attachments through an interface such as a web browser, bypassing the normal SMTP proxy and mail servers. This list includes both free and pay-for webmail sites, including anonymous emailing services, email redirector and ecard sites. This is done to prevent viruses from entering the private network because the virus scanners found on the SMTP servers were bypassed.