Computers and internet access have become essential tools in the workplace. Many businesses restrict access to various websites, such as social media, or sites with potentially harmful or inappropriate content. However, where there’s a will, there’s a way, and employees are finding ways to bypass these restrictions. But how do they do it?
In this article, we’ll cover why businesses place certain restrictions on the internet and why bypassing these restrictions is a problem. Finally, we’ll also look at the different ways employees bypass these restrictions using tools like VPN, proxies and more. However, free versions of these tools can cause security vulnerabilities. Finding reliable ones with the best proxy prices is key to staying safe. Interested? Learn more about reliable providers with affordable prices.
Why Do Businesses Block Access To Certain Websites?
There are quite a few reasons why businesses might restrict access to certain websites – and it’s not just because they’re being mean. While the internet has changed and, in many ways, improved the way businesses work, it can also be a significant concern. While working, an employee could be busy with essential tasks such as writing reports or reaching out to clients, or they could be downloading illegal movies or even porn.
Unrestricted internet browsing can also be a major distraction in the workplace. You might log in to your Facebook account to check a quick message or post and then waste many minutes scrolling through the feed. This is valuable company time that could’ve been better spent on other tasks.
Finally, and probably most importantly, employees having open access to the entire web can have major security and privacy implications for the business. For example, many illegal movie-downloading websites contain links, ads and even movie downloads that are riddled with malware. An employee can infect the entire business network and systems when clicking on any of these items. These can lead to the hardware being damaged, files being deleted, data being stolen or leaked and much more.
In summary, businesses put website restrictions in place to:
- Improve online security
- Protect consumer data from breaches
- Improve employee productivity
- Keep business internet usage appropriate and legal
- Maintain CIPA compliance in businesses that need to meet this requirement
How Can Businesses Restrict Access To Websites?
There are a few different ways that businesses can place restrictions on which websites employees visit.
Setting Up Internet Usage Policies
Businesses should create effective and achievable internet usage policies that take into account the businesses’ needs, but also those of the employees. These outlines should clearly list the websites and types of websites, such as adult entertainment sites, that are completely off-limits. This policy should also include other restrictions, such as employees only being allowed to access games or social media platforms during their breaks. This policy should also clearly state what the repercussions would be for violating these agreements.
Monitoring Internet Usage
This is the lowest level of control a business can practice when it comes to internet access for employees. In this case, businesses would monitor the sites their employees visit and how long they spend on these platforms. This will give the employer a clear indication when an employee violates the internet usage policy.
Blocking Keywords Or Phrases
Businesses can also set up their hardware to respond to certain keywords. For example, businesses can restrict searches for keywords like ‘XXX’, ‘sex’ or other terms considered inappropriate for the workplace, and employees won’t see any results for searches with these terms.
Applying Web Filters
Web filters are one of the easiest ways businesses ensure access is restricted to certain websites. In this situation, the URLs of blocked websites will be added to a list, and employees will not be able to access any of the sites on the list. But there are so many websites out there, with more being created each day.
How Do Employees Try To Bypass These Restrictions?
There are many different ways that employees try to bypass these restrictions, from changing the DNS settings to using non-trackable browsers. Another way that’s become popular is using VPNs and proxies. These tools act as intermediaries for the user’s internet traffic. Proxy prices can be high for an employee who just wants to access Facebook at work, so most employees turn to free ones. These can have major vulnerabilities and cause damage to the company when used. As such, choosing high-quality tools from a reliable provider with reasonable proxy prices is critical.
Final Thoughts
Bypassing any workplace restrictions shouldn’t be taken lightly as they can have severe implications for the employee, including dismissal. As such, if you require access to certain websites or would like more internet freedom, it’s best to discuss these directly with your employer to reach an agreement that benefits everyone.
