Configuring the Smoothwall Filter to Allow Users to Read Facebook but to Block Users From Posting Content

You can use the Facebook: Posts & Updates category found in the Social Media category group, in a block policy to make Facebook read-only. Your users will be able to read content from other users but won't be able to post content themselves.

This configuration allows read-only access to Facebook but blocks all other social networks.

Procedure

  1. Create a block web filter policy, with these settings, see our help topic, Creating web filter policies:
    • Who: "Everyone, or the relevant user or groups to apply this policy to."
    • What: "Facebook: Posts & Updates"
    • Where: "Everywhere, or the relevant location to apply this policy to."
    • When:  "Always, or the relevant time slot to apply this policy to."
    • Action: "Block"
  2. Create an allow web filter policy, with these settings, see our help topic, Creating web filter policies:
    • Who: "Everyone, or the relevant user or groups to apply this policy to."
    • What: "Facebook"
    • Where: "Everywhere, or the relevant location to apply this policy to."
    • When:  "Always, or the relevant time slot to apply this policy to."
    • Action: "Allow"
  3. Create a block web filter policy, with these settings, see our help topic, Creating web filter policies:
    • Who: "Everyone, or the relevant user or groups to apply this policy to."
    • What: "Social Networking Sites"
    • Where: "Everywhere, or the relevant location to apply this policy to."
    • When:  "Always, or the relevant time slot to apply this policy to."
    • Action: "Block"
  4. Make sure that these policies appear in this order in your Web filter policies table, see our help topic, Managing web filter policies. The order should be the Facebook policy, the Facebook policy below that and Social Networking Sites policy below that. 

Tip: You can also do this for Twitter with the Twitter: Updates category.

You can also configure the Smoothwall Filter and Firewall to allow the mobile app: Configuring the Smoothwall Filter to Allow Access to the iOS and Android Facebook & Facebook Messenger App.

To filter other non-managed devices, you need to configure the Smoothwall Filter to manage your bring your own devices (BYOD): Handling Traffic from the Facebook Mobile App on BYOD Devices.