How easy is it to block sites in the Google Chrome web application?

A huge amount of information surrounds users everywhere. The creation and development of modern personal computer devices, for the most part represented by stationary personal computers, laptops of a wide range of variations and mobile devices, gradually gaining popularity scales similar to computers, together with progressive software, allow you to use a significant proportion of information materials instantly and at high speed interactions.

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Introduction

But a significant increase in the array of information, permanently or temporarily used by users, became possible after the widespread dissemination and implementation of the global international computer network “Internet”. The World Wide Web is a concentration of an unusually large amount of information resources containing a variety of types of open or closed digital data.

Users regularly use certain web resources necessary for work, contacts, remote transfer and exchange of data, as well as games, entertainment, various types of social communication and other options for remote interaction. And very often, in addition to important and in-demand resources that are really needed at a given moment, for example, related to the performance of their professional duties by users, users also visit other network sites that are not directly involved in the direct management of work processes, which can distract, diffuse attention, reduce the overall productivity and productivity, especially during business activity of users.

And an effective solution would be to block certain resources that are not directly involved in important user operations. Or, if necessary, it will also be possible to block websites for children or employees of entire organizations. And then we’ll look at some simple, effective ways.

How to quickly block websites for yourself?

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A simple, convenient and fairly fast way to block websites in the web browser “Google Chrome” is directly related to the use of the corresponding extension from the tested for compatibility and functionality, ready-made solutions of the “Chrome Web Store”. We recommend using the proposed potential of the Block Site productivity tool (direct link to the resource: chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/block-site-website-blocke/eiimnmioipafcokbfikbljfdeojpcgbh?hl=en), preventing the display of network resources included in the user blacklist.

After completing the installation procedure, you can use the web extension’s simple parameters to determine the list of blocked sites. The list of preset settings is quite extensive and includes various management tools. For example, users can use the redirection function, thanks to which, when visiting a blocked site, they will automatically switch to another, predefined, website specified for use (possibly an “Internet resource” used directly for conducting business operations). Or, enable the ability to visit a specific website according to a set schedule, which allows you to go to the resource and fully interact with it until the blocking time, defined by users (as an option, set the schedule for reading and communicating on the social network in the strictly allotted period of time after the end of the working day).

But how difficult and reliable is this solution? Absolutely simple and straightforward to use. However, “Block Site” is not an absolute tool for blocking access to websites. If it is necessary to make certain changes, users will be able to go to the extension’s settings and quickly edit the set blocking permissions, instantly removing the obstacle to displaying the in-demand resource. Despite the extension’s ability to provide additional password protection for accessing blocked sites and Block Site preferences, any user who has access and the ability to use this computer can bypass the specified blocking by using a different web browser.

This method allows you to only slightly complicate the procedure for gaining access to distracting sites in order to be able to direct your main efforts to performing much more important demanded operations, that’s all. It will not help to fully control the visit of prohibited websites for children or employees in the organization, but serves only as a self-control tool.

If users have certain concerns that the “Block Site” extension, which blocks the network resources installed in the settings, is allowed to view and change user data on the sites they visit, then you can restrict its access using the access rights management tool “Google Chrome”. For example, if you want to block the Facebook website and prevent the Block Site application from using view and modify operations, you can set such a restriction in the browser extension settings and revoke the permission directly for that particular site by adding it to the appropriate list.

Experienced users can try to block websites by modifying the system hosts file to add their own list of domains and their associated IP addresses. However, Google Chrome ignores this user system file, which prevents malicious programs from redirecting websites such as Facebook to malicious locations and avoids possible site blocking. Therefore, the “Block Site” extension is a preferable, simple, convenient and useful solution for daily individual use.

How to block websites using parental controls?

Extension “Block Site” works great and copes with the functions assigned to it, but only for personal personal use. Unfortunately, as we noted earlier, users cannot effectively use it to block access to prohibited or potentially unsafe websites for their children.

In this case, it is worth considering the possibility of a hardware method to contain unauthorized access to network resources. Many Wi-Fi routers have built-in website blocking features, and this will work much better than the Google Chrome browser extension presented in the previous section. If the used router is equipped with such a function, then users can specify in the settings of the device for remote distribution of access to the Internet a list of websites prohibited from visiting, and none of the consumers connected to this Wi-Fi network will be able to visit them. Of course, advanced and confident users can use “VPN” or “proxy servers” to bypass the established blacklist – there is no guaranteed and one hundred percent way to prevent access to closed sites. But in any case, this is a powerful and fairly reliable way to block unwanted content on the Internet.

Additionally, users can learn and use the parental control program on their computer. In addition to third-party software that monitors and blocks illegal activities, it is wise to use the built-in useful tools of the operating system you are using.

For example, creating a family group in Windows 10 will allow users not only to define acceptable computer usage times, a list of allowed apps and games, and to restrict and control purchases in the Microsoft Store, but also block websites for a linked child account. On Mac devices, the “Screen Time” feature added to “Mac OS Catalina” will allow users to restrict access to sites. On the Chromebook range, you can use Family Link to control which websites your child accounts are allowed to visit.

How do I block access to websites in my organization?

This option will not help users manage Google Chrome at home. Commercial organizations using Chrome Enterprise can use the URLBlacklist feature in Google Chrome to block specific websites. This feature is intended for IT professionals who manage connected devices in a company, install corporate applications, extensions, and set other rules for enterprise management. The implementation of the blocking function will allow administrators to restrict the access of connected users to the Internet, affect the improvement of overall performance, and increase protection against viruses and malicious content of potentially dangerous sites.

For more detailed information on using the URLBlacklist function, responsible company specialists should refer to the official documentation on blocking websites of the Google corporation, which is fully presented on the Internet on the official support site of Google Chrome.

Conclusion

The development and massive widespread introduction of ultra-fast and powerful personal computer devices, represented today by a wide range of stationary and mobile options, under the control of modern software, has collectively influenced the creation, distribution and use of a huge amount of various types of digital data, a significant part of which is presented in the global the Internet.

The possibilities of the world wide web, in addition to storing information materials and providing various methods of their transmission, are focused, inter alia, on providing users with ample opportunities for studying and remote interaction, with data presented on the Internet on various resources, the total number of which is large and constant increases.

The presence of such a significant volume often distracts users from fulfilling their direct duties or endangers children from being able to access prohibited materials. The solutions described in this article will help users block unnecessary resources and protect themselves, their children, or employees of entire organizations from various secondary network resources, including malicious malicious sites, and will allow them to concentrate on performing directly important daily tasks.

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