URL Filtering Category Groups

URL categories are organized into the URL filtering groups shown in the table below.

URL Filtering Categories

The table below lists definitions of the URL filtering categories and the assigned group.

Category Group	Category Type	Category Definition
Adult	Abortion	Sites that promote, encourage, or discuss abortion, including sites that cover moral or political views on abortion
Adult	Adult/Mature Content	Sites with profane or vulgar content generally considered inappropriate for minors; includes sites that offer erotic content or ads for sexual services, but excludes sites with sexually explicit images
Adult	Alcohol/ Tobacco	Sites that promote, sell, or provide information about alcohol or tobacco products
Adult	Gambling	Sites that promote or provide information on gambling, including online gambling sites
Adult	Illegal Drugs	Sites that promote, glamorize, supply, sell, or explain how to use illicit or illegal intoxicants
Adult	Illegal/ Questionable	Sites that promote and discuss how to perpetrate nonviolent crimes, including burglary, fraud, intellectual property theft, and plagiarism; includes sites that sell plagiarized or stolen materials
Adult	Intimate Apparel/ Swimsuit	Sites that sell swimsuits or intimate apparel with models wearing them
Adult	Marijuana	Sites that discuss the cultivation, use, or preparation of marijuana, or sell related paraphernalia
Adult	Nudity	Sites showing nude or partially nude images that are generally considered artistic, not vulgar or pornographic
Adult	Pornography	Sites with sexually explicit imagery designed for sexual arousal, including sites that offer sexual services
Adult	Sex Education	Sites with or without explicit images that discuss reproduction, sexuality, birth control, sexually transmitted disease, safe sex, or coping with sexual trauma
Adult	Tasteless	Sites with content that is gratuitously offensive and shocking; includes sites that show extreme forms of body modification or mutilation and animal cruelty
Adult	Violence/ Hate/ Racism	Sites that promote hate and violence; includes sites that espouse prejudice against a social group, extremely violent and dangerous activities, mutilation and gore, or the creation of destructive devices
Adult	Weapons	Sites about weapons, including their accessories and use; excludes sites about military institutions or sites that discuss weapons as sporting or recreational equipment
Business	Auctions	Sites that serve as venues for selling or buying goods through bidding, including business sites that are being auctioned
Business	Brokerage/Trading	Sites about investments in stocks or bonds, including online trading sites; includes sites about vehicle insurance
Business	Business/ Economy	Sites about business and the economy, including entrepreneurship and marketing; includes corporate sites that do not fall under other categories
Business	Financial Services	Sites that provide information about or offer basic financial services, including sites owned by businesses in the financial industry
Business	Job Search/ Careers	Sites about finding employment or employment services
Business	Real Estate	Sites about real estate, including those that provide assistance selling, leasing, purchasing, or renting property
Business	Shopping	Sites that sell goods or support the sales of goods that do not fall under other categories; excludes online auction or bidding sites
Communications and Search	Blogs/Web Communications	Blog sites or forums on varying topics or topics not covered by other categories; sites that offer multiple types of web-based communication, such as e-mail or instant messaging
Communications and Search	Chat/Instant Messaging	Sites that provide web-based services or downloadable software for text-based instant messaging or chat
Communications and Search	Email	Sites that provide email services, including portals used by companies for web-based email
Communications and Search	Internet Infrastructure	Content servers, image servers, or sites used to gather, process, and present data and data analysis, including web-based analytics tools and network monitors
Communications and Search	Internet Telephony	Sites that provide web services or downloadable software for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls
Communications and Search	Newsgroups	Sites that offer access to Usenet or provide other newsgroup, forum, or bulletin board services
Communications and Search	Search Engines/ Portals	Search engine sites or portals that provide directories, indexes, or other retrieval systems for the web
Communications and Search	Social Networking	Sites devoted to personal expression or communication, linking people with similar interests
Communications and Search	Web Hosting	Sites of organizations that provide top-level domains or web hosting services
General	Computers/ Internet	Sites about computers, the Internet, or related technology, including sites that sell or provide reviews of electronic devices
General	Education	School sites, distance learning sites, and other education-related sites
General	Government/ Legal	Sites about the government, including laws or policies; excludes government military or health sites
General	Health	Sites about health, fitness, or well-being
General	Military	Sites about military institutions or armed forces; excludes sites that discuss or sell weapons or military equipment
General	News/Media	Sites about the news, current events, contemporary issues, or the weather; includes online magazines whose topics do not fall under other categories
General	Politics	Sites that discuss or are sponsored by political parties, interest groups, or similar organizations involved in public policy issues; includes non-hate sites that discuss conspiracy theories or alternative views on government
General	Reference	General and specialized reference sites, including map, encyclopedia, dictionary, weather, how-to, and conversion sites
General	Translators/ Cached Pages	Online page translators or cached Web pages (used by search engines), which can be used to circumvent proxy servers and Web filtering systems
General	Untested	Sites that have not been classified under a category
General	Vehicles	Sites about motorized transport, including customization, procurement of parts and actual vehicles, or repair services; excludes sites about military vehicles
Internet Security	Adware	Sites with downloads that display advertisements or other promotional content; includes sites that install browser helper objects (BHOs)
Internet Security	Cookies	Sites that send malicious tracking cookies to visiting web browsers
Internet Security	Dialers	Sites with downloads that dial into other networks or premium-rate telephone numbers without user consent
Internet Security	Disease Vector	Sites that directly or indirectly facilitate the distribution of malicious software or source code
Internet Security	Hacking	Sites that provide downloadable software for bypassing computer security systems
Internet Security	Joke Program	Sites that provide downloadable “joke” software, including applications that can unsettle users
Internet Security	Made for AdSense sites (MFA)	Sites that use scraped or copied content to pollute search engines with redundant and generally unwanted results
Internet Security	Malware Accomplice	Sites used by malicious programs, including sites used to host upgrades or store stolen information
Internet Security	Password Cracking	Sites that distribute password cracking software
Internet Security	Phishing	Fraudulent sites that mimic legitimate sites to gather sensitive information, such as user names and passwords
Internet Security	Potentially Malicious Software	Sites that contain potentially harmful downloads
Internet Security	Proxy Avoidance	Sites about bypassing proxy servers or web filtering systems, including sites that provide tools for that purpose
Internet Security	Remote Access Program	Sites that provide tools for remotely monitoring and controlling computers
Internet Security	Spam	Sites whose addresses have been found in spam messages
Internet Security	Spyware	Sites with downloads that gather and transmit data from computers owned by unsuspecting users
Internet Security	Web Advertisement	Sites dedicated to displaying advertisements, including sites used to display banner or pop-up ads
Lifestyle	Activist Groups	Sites that promote change in public policy, public opinion, social practice, economic activities, or economic relationships; includes sites controlled by service, philanthropic, professional, or labor organizations
Lifestyle	Alternative Journals	Online equivalents of supermarket tabloids and other fringe publications
Lifestyle	Arts	Sites about visual arts, such as painting and sculpture.
Lifestyle	Cult/Occult	Sites about alternative religions, beliefs, and religious practices, including those considered cult or occult
Lifestyle	Cultural Institutions	Sites controlled by organizations that seek to preserve cultural heritage, such as libraries or museums; also covers sites owned by the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts, Rotary International, and similar organizations
Lifestyle	Entertainment	Sites that promote or provide information about movies, music, non-news radio and television, books, humor, or magazines
Lifestyle	For Kids	Sites designed for children
Lifestyle	Games	Sites about board games, card games, console games, or computer games; includes sites that sell games or related merchandise
Lifestyle	Gay/Lesbian	Sites about gay, lesbian, transgender, or bisexual lifestyles
Lifestyle	Gun Clubs/ Hunting	Sites about gun clubs or similar groups; includes sites about hunting, war gaming, or paintball facilities
Lifestyle	Humor	Sites intended for humor.
Lifestyle	Personal Sites	Sites maintained by individuals about themselves or their interests; excludes personal pages in social networking sites, blog sites, or similar services
Lifestyle	Personals/ Dating	Sites that help visitors establish relationships, including sites that provide singles listings, matchmaking, or dating services
Lifestyle	Recreation/ Hobbies	Sites about recreational activities and hobbies, such as collecting, gardening, outdoor activities, traditional (non-video) games, and crafts; includes sites about pets, recreational facilities, or recreational organizations
Lifestyle	Religion	Sites about popular religions, their practices, or their places of worship
Lifestyle	Restaurants/ Food	Sites that list, review, discuss, advertise, or promote food, catering, dining services, cooking, or recipes
Lifestyle	Society/ Lifestyle	Sites that provide information about life or daily matters; excludes sites about entertainment, hobbies, sex, or sports, but includes sites about cosmetics or fashion
Lifestyle	Sports	Sites about sports or other competitive physical activities; includes fan sites or sites that sell sports merchandise
Lifestyle	Travel	Sites about travelling or travel destinations; includes travel booking and planning sites
Network Bandwidth	Internet Radio and TV	Sites that primarily provide streaming radio or TV programming; excludes sites that provide other kinds of streaming content
Network Bandwidth	Pay to Surf	Sites that compensate users who view certain websites, email messages, or advertisements or users who click links or respond to surveys
Network Bandwidth	Peer-to-Peer	Sites that provide information about or software for sharing and transferring files within a peer-to-peer (P2P) network
Network Bandwidth	Personal Network Storage/File Download Servers	Sites that provide personal online storage, backup, or hosting space, including those that provide encryption or other security services
Network Bandwidth	Photo Searches	Sites that primarily host images, allowing users to share, organize, store, or search for photos or other images
Network Bandwidth	Ringtones/Mobile Phone Downloads	Sites that provide content for mobile devices, including ringtones, games, or videos
Network Bandwidth	Software Downloads	Sites dedicated to providing free, trial, or paid software downloads
Network Bandwidth	Streaming Media/ MP3	Sites that offer streaming video or audio content without radio or TV programming; sites that provide music or video downloads, such as MP3 or AVI files

Category Group	Description
Adult	Websites generally considered inappropriate for children
Business	Websites related to business, employment, or commerce
Communications and Search	Websites that provide tools and services for online communications and searches.
General	Websites that do not fall into or have not been classified into the other categories.
Internet Security	Potentially harmful websites, including those known to distribute malicious software
Lifestyle	Websites about religious, political, or sexual preferences, as well as recreation and entertainment
Network Bandwidth	Websites offering services that can significantly impact the speed of the computer's Internet connection