A Content Policy allows you to specify what should be blocked, when it should be blocked, and who it should be blocked for.

A Content Policy is a list of rules that you use to block, allow, or enforce SafeSearch and YouTube restricted modes.

Rule Actions

Each rule in your Content Policy will have an associated action.

1. Allow: Unblock a website or app that is blocked in another rule.
2. Block: Deny access to a website or app.
3. SafeSearch: Search engines usually have a SafeSearch feature, which provides filtered search results. You can automatically turn on the SafeSearch feature with this action.
4. Yt Restricted: YouTube has their own content filter, which you can enable by specifying this action.

Scoping a Rule

By default, a Content Policy rule will be enabled always, for everyone on your account, all the time.

However, you can customize the scope of a rule.

Scoping by Content

When creating a Content Policy rule, you will need to specify the content that the rule applies to.

You can select content in the following ways:

1. Content Category: Almost every website on the internet is categorized in multiple ways. Apply a rule to a category allows you to match many different websites automatically. 
2. Apps: If you are wanting to block a specific App, like Tik Tok, this is the best method to choose. Apps use many different domains to function properly. Blocking an App will block all domains associated with the app.
   
3. Domains: Specify a domain name, such as example.com.
   

Once you’ve chosen a specific set of Rules for your Content Policy, you can then choose who this rule applies to.

Scoping by Audience

The Audience section of the rule editor allows you to choose who (or what) the rule should apply to.

This is quite useful if you need to filter content differently depending on the device being used or a person's individual needs.

In the Audience section of your chosen Content Policy, you can select members of your account who the rule should apply to.

Here are your options for selecting an audience:

Apply to everyone on all devices.

If you don't specify an audience for your rule, the rule will apply to everyone sharing your filtered internet connection.

1. If you've installed the filter on your home router, devices on your home internet connection will have the rule applied to them.
2. People sharing your account, who have configured their devices to connect to your Content Policy, will also have this rule applied to them even on different internet connections.
   

Apply to Specific People on Some Devices

If you select specific people who share an account with you, the rule will apply to specific devices where that person has signed into the Cloudflare app that connects them to the filter.

1. If you've installed the filter on your home router, some devices on your home internet connection will not have this rule applied to them.
   
2. Only devices that have the Cloudflare filter app installed and which are signed in as one of the associated members in your audience scope will have the rule applied (whether or not they are on your home internet connection or roaming on another internet connection).

Scoping by Schedule

When you create a new rule, it is always active by default. You can limit the rule to specific times by setting a schedule.

You can use rule scheduling to choose when the rule is enabled:

1. For specific days of the week
2. At multiple time ranges for selected days

You can customize time ranges for specific days. For example:

• Saturday, Sunday: 7am-11am, 1pm-5pm
• Weekdays: 9am-5pm

Change History

One useful feature you can utilize is viewing the change history for your Content Policy.

The change history tells you who changed something, what changed, and when it changed.

Each time you make a change to a Content Policy, the change is noted in the History section. You can view the history for each rule or the entire account.

Create Rule Presets

We've created rule presets with some recommended configurations. You can customize these rules further after creation or use an Allow rule to add exceptions if something is wrongfully blocked.

Security Threats

Cyber security problems almost always start online. You can reduce the chances of a serious incident by using our Security Threats preset.

Here is what is the Content Scope for our preset:

New Domains, Newly Seen Domains, Parked & For Sale Domains

These categories can be associated with phishing scams (online scams). Read more here . 

Brand Embedding

Websites that pretend to be another company. For example, facebooc.com.

Anonymizer

Proxies, VPNs, or other websites that allow for anonymous browsing. This is a security risk because these websites can be used to bypass content filtering (either intentionally or unintentionally).

Command and Control & Botnet, Cryptomining

Websites that use your computer for malicious purposes.

DGA Domains, Malware, Phishing, Spyware, DNS Tunneling, Private IP Address , Spam

Websites that have a general malicious purpose towards you.

Adult Content

Adult content means different things to different people. We've specified a preset with all related categories, but you can customize this after the rule is created.

• Adult Themes: Sites that are hosting content related to pornography, nudity, sexuality, and other adult themes.
• Nudity, Pornography:  These are sub-categories of Adult Themes
  
• Lingerie & Bikini, Swimsuits: Not related to Adult Themes, but frequently blocked by people who are filtering out explicit content.
  

Social Media

This rule blocks the Social Networks category and common social media and dating apps. 

Here is the default selection:

• Categories: Social Networks, Dating
• Apps: All apps in the Social Networking app category
  

You can allow specific approved social media apps by creating a separate Allow rule with the approved social media apps selected.

Twitter (X) Images

This rule allows you to use Twitter (X) with most images removed.

It blocks the associated content delivery network (CDN) domains.

Twitter (X) Videos

This rule blocks most videos on Twitter (X).

It blocks the associated content delivery network (CDN) domains.

YouTube Images

This rule blocks YouTube thumbnails and profile images. Applying this rule will remove images from your YouTube experience, but you will still be able to watch videos: 

It blocks the associated content delivery network (CDN) domains.

YouTube Restricted

This rule applies Youtube's built-in content filter when the YouTube app or website is used.

Apps Selected:

• YouTube

Safe Search

Google and other search engines have the option to filter search results for explicit content. This rule enforces SafeSearch on any search engine that supports it.

Categories:

• News, Portals, and Search

Frequently Asked Questions

Now that we’re familiar with creating a Content Policy rule, let's answer some of the most common questions.

How do I disable a Rule?

There are several ways to disable a rule:

1. Delete the rule.
2. Toggle off the "Enable Rule" option in the rule editor.
3. Specify a schedule or audience for the rule to exclude certain devices where you don't want the rule to apply.

Next Up