I appealed my company’s internet safety firewall, and won!

Remember that firewall you had in high school to stop all the weirdos from looking at porn in the library? Bet you thought that web-blocking would go away when you were an adult. Nope!

A recent study showed 64% of employees report dealing with a firewall at work. And they aren’t just filtering the naughty parts of the Internet. Yes, the biggest things they restrict are mature and illegal content and gambling websites, but they also tend to block a bunch of harmless content as well.

Just recently I had to appeal a filtered website. My company banned the Carolina Sporting Arms website. I wanted information on a few firearms classes but couldn't because my company immediately blocks anything "firearm" related, assuming it involves violence. So I appealed the decision and explained that it's a good business, local business, and that there's nothing illegal or violent about the website. Luckily my appeal was judged in my favor!

Besides, firewalls don't even work. The study I found revealed two in five employees admit to accessing restricted sites at work just by switching from work computers to our phones.

Source: Fast Company