Website being blocked by client's content firewall for non-existent "lingerie and swimsuit" category

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Michael Payne

• June 03, 2019 12:08

My Photoshelter portfolio website, which focuses on architecture, interiors and hospitality, is being blocked by a client's company firewall. The reason: "category 'Lingerie and Swimwear' denied by WebBlocker..."  My site does not have a Lingerie and Swimwear category, nor have I ever photographed or featured any such content.

 

My guess is that Photoshelter has this category built somewhere into the theme (shuffle v 1.2.0) or framework that runs my portfolio website.

 

Naturally, I'm pissed. A large regional architecture firm isn't able to view my portfolio on their work computers due to a category I do not list. I now have to explain to my (female) contact person that I do indeed specialize in architecture and don't do other photo work, and that I don't know why my website got caught in a filter for lingerie and swimwear content.

 

Photoshelter, WTF. This is an important client that wants to hire me to shoot multiple projects this summer, but can't review my work in their office due to content I do not feature.

 

How can this be resolved so that this client, and future clients that may have content filters, can view my work?

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  Nick Miners

  • June 03, 2019 15:25

  My first question would be: do you use your own custom domain name or a Photoshelter subdomain? What I suspect is happening is that your client’s firewall has found a PhotoShelter site from another user which does feature lingerie/swimwear and has lumped all PS sites together on their blacklist. They should be able to whitelist your subdomain if you don’t have any photos of this nature on your site, or you could invest in a custom domain name which would remove the association with all other PhotoShelter sites. Either way, I would suggest it’s not PhotoShelter who are at fault here but your client’s IT department!

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  Michael Payne

  • June 03, 2019 16:44

  @Nick Miners: My website is on a custom domain.

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  Nick Miners

  • June 04, 2019 10:49

  OK, however I think Photoshelter's cliient download links still use a subdomain of PhotoShelter.com - can you check the link you have sent them to access the images?

  There is no 'category' content in a Photoshelter theme that your client's firewall will be seeing - your site will only contain the photographs, keywords and metadata that is attached to your images. I think you need to have a dialogue with your client about whitelisting your site so they can access your images. I understand it's frustrating, but I really can't see how there's anything PhotoShelter can do about this.

  Additionally, if you can link to your site here, I might be able to see if there's anything that might be causing this.

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  Michael Payne

  • June 04, 2019 19:48

  @Nick Miners:

  My website is http://www.seamuspayne.com 

  My concern isn't just about this client. It's about those I may not have heard from that have seen the same issue.

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  Nick Miners

  • June 05, 2019 14:20

  OK so I can't see anything unusual on your site. I still think you should speak to your client in order to establish what it is about your site that their firewall is unhappy with - it's more likely to be an issue with their configuration than anything to do with PhotoShelter.

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