YouTube Education Filter

YouTube for Schools was a way to access educational videos from inside a school network. This YouTube feature gave schools the ability to access a broad set of educational videos on YouTube EDU and to select the specific videos that are accessible from within the school network.

Google decided to stop supporting YouTube for Schools (YTfS) as of July 1, 2016. Consequently, the current YouTube safe search does not work anymore.

Google provides an article entitled "Restrict YouTube content on your network or managed devices" on its support site. At this time, Google offers two options to restrict inappropriate content: DNS and HTTP header.

Restricting YouTube access in FortiOS 5.4 and 5.4.1

Below is a FortiGate configuration example for adding the HTTP header to YouTube requests to implement safe-search for YouTube.

1. Configure web proxy profile to add header:

config web-proxy profile

edit Restrict

set header-via-request add

set header-via-response add

config headers

edit 1

set name "YouTube-Restrict" --------(the name can be any value

set content "Strict"

next

end

next

end

2. Add profile to urlfilter profile:

config webfilter urlfilter

edit 1

set name "Youtube" --------(the name can be any value

config entries

edit 1

set url "www.youtube.com"

set action allow

set web-proxy-profile "Restrict"

next

edit 2

set url "m.youtube.com"

set action allow

set web-proxy-profile "Restrict"

next

edit 3

set url "youtubei.googleapis.com"

set action allow

set web-proxy-profile "Restrict"

next

edit 4

set url "youtube.googleapis.com"

set action allow

set web-proxy-profile "Restrict"

next

edit 5

set url "www.youtube-nocookie.com"

set action allow

set web-proxy-profile "Restrict"

next

end

next

end

 

3. Add urlfilter profile to webfilter:

config webfilter profile

edit "Youtube-Restrict" --------(the name can be any value

config web

set urlfilter-table 1

end

next

end

 

4. Apply the above profile to the outgoing firewall policies

  1. Enable the web-filter and select the web filter created in step 3.
  2. Enable SSL Deep Inspection.

 

Restricting YouTube access in FortiOS 5.4.2

In FortiOS 5.4.2, YouTube access can be restricted through the GUI.

  1. Go to Security Profiles > Web Filter.
  2. Edit the default web filter or create a new one.
  3. Expand Search Engines and enable Restrict YouTube Access.
  4. Select Strict or Moderate level of restriction.

 

Google discusses the difference between strict and moderate levels of access in the article entitled on its support site.