Why are some Web sites miscategorized?


This article applies to:

  • WebTrends Firewall Suite 2.0x
  • WebTrends Firewall Suite 3.0x
  • WebTrends Firewall Suite 4.X
  • URL Categorization
  • Outgoing Activity Report

Question:

  • Why are some Web sites miscategorized?
  • How are Web sites categorized?
  • What are the Web site categories?

Causes:

SurfWatch (SurfControl) assigns one category per IP address for site categorization. If different sites use the same IP address, the sites will be in the same category. Thus some sites can be incorrectly categorized when they are hosted by a third party that assigns multiple Internet domains to a single IP address. 

Note: The Surfwatch database monitors for five categories of objectionable sites (also known as the core categories) and fifteen categories of productivity sites. The objectionable sites are: Sexually Explicit, Violence, Hate Speech, Gambling and Drugs/Alcohol. The productivity sites are: Astrology and Mysticism, Entertainment, Games, General News, Glamour and Intimate Apparel, Hobbies, Investment, Job Search, Motor Vehicles, Personals and Dating, Real Estate, Shopping, Sports, Travel, and Usenet News. There is also a category that includes Web-based Chat.

Information:

If a site appears to be incorrectly categorized in the Firewall Suite Outgoing Activity report, please visit SurfWatch's web site at http://www.surfwatch.com/ to submit the suspect URL for review.

This article was previously published as:
NETIQKB321

Last Modified 4/13/2006.
https://support.trustwave.com/kb/KnowledgebaseArticle10944.aspx