How can I access YouTube or other videos with the new content filter?

APS moved to a new content filter in the beginning of September.  Filtering is now done by policy:

• default – everything is blocked
• high school student – can access some videos on You Tube
• staff – can access some videos on YouTube, Facebook and other sites

The system must know who you are to apply the correct policy.  This is accomplished by logging in to OneLogin, connecting to APS wifi, etc.  Even though you may be in Google or Synergy, you may need to log into something to authenticate with the system.  One thing you can do is go to access.apsva.us and select “Change Password” under the Resources tab. Just log in, you don’t need to actually change your password.

IS has noticed people having more difficulty using the new system if they have a computer that was previously imaged as a student computer or if they are connected to ethernet.  In these cases you may need to authenticate with One Login additional time in order for the system to recognize you as a staff or high school student.

Occasionally when you go to YouTube you will be given a white login screen.  This is because the Content Filter doesn’t know which policy to apply.  If you see this, log in with your username and regular password. Do not add @apsva.us to your username.

If you are trying to watch a video embedded on a website but all you see is a blank box where the video should be, try logging in to OneLogin in a separate window then return to the page.

Secure Connection Errors: If you get a get an error saying Safari Can’t Open the Page (…can’t establish a secure connection to the server “www.youtube.com”) or Secure connection Failed:

• try a different browser – (Safari and Firefox won’t work for me)
• clear your cache – how to clear cache –  Firefox – Safari

The Content Filter is restricting YouTube videos to ones with a moderate or safe rating.  In some cases you can access YouTube, but will see that the video is blocked by your administrator.  Staff should take a screen shot and send it with the link to 2847@apsva.us.

Staff who are having problems related to the content filter should report the issue to 2847@apsva.us.  Include as much information as you can:

• are you not able to access YouTube at all or just specific sites?
• what link(s) were you trying to access?
• what error message did you get?
• what troubleshooting have you tried?
  • which browsers have you tried?
  • how did you try to authenticate to OneLogin?
  • have you cleared the cache?

I will try to update this page as we learn more about how the content filter is working.  Teri