Scotch College Online Safety Measures

Scotch College has implemented robust internet filtering, malware protection, and content filtering systems to safeguard students from harmful content, cyber threats, and inappropriate material. Many protections apply both on and off the school network as outlined in the table below.

Security Controls

Controls in place on campus

Controls in place off campus

Limitations Internet Filtering Yes Yes
Content Filtering Yes Yes
Safe Search Yes Yes Safe Search works based on content and internet filtering. Safe-Search is applied on Google, YouTube and Bing Search Engines. Other Search engines have been restricted at Scotch College. Safe-Search works at campus and off-campus. For YouTube videos, if the content is mark as safe-search appropriate then it will be visible otherwise it will be blocked.
Malware Protection - Anti-Virus
Yes Yes

Malware Protection Yes Yes Scotch College has stricter blocks on the Firewall to block content that is not stopped by other controls but these controls are only in place when on campus. Malware protection while off campus exists for Malware utilising command and control techniques of known CnC servers.
Malware Protection - Intrusion Detection System (IDS) Yes No Intrusion Detection Systems is active on Scotch College's firewall. Controls on YouTube and Browsers - Safari and Google Chrome Yes Yes YouTube content is blocked based on content filtering and Safe Search; In some cases, content may be uploaded as age-appropriate but have inappropriate content and it may not be blocked.
Students can surf YouTube within Safari (Year 6 to Year 12) but overall controls are in place at the device level. Under normal filtering policies You Tube Restricted mode will be in place for all students while at home. This is subject to change based on educational requirements for accessing this content.

Internet Filtering

URL Filtering—Blocks/permits specific websites based on URLs.
Category Filtering – Restricts entire website categories (e.g., adult content, gambling).
IP Filtering – Controls access to specific networks or servers.

Content Filtering & Safe Search

Safe Search Enforcement – Filters explicit content from search results.
Restricted Mode—YouTube's content filter.
Content Rating Systems – Blocks or allows content based on age groups.
Application Control – Restricts access to high-risk apps and platforms.

Malware Protection

Antivirus Software – Detects and removes threats.
Firewalls – Blocks unauthorised access and harmful websites.
Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) – Monitors network activity for threats.
Regular Updates – Ensures security software is up to date.

While these measures provide strong protection, digital citizenship education remains essential in helping students navigate the online world responsibly.