Site access via intervening control layer

A computer comprising:

• a processor;
• a computer-readable medium;
• a standard mechanism executed by the processor from the medium by which programs running on the computer access content on a plurality of sites, the sites hosted on one or more servers;
• and,
• an intervening control layer within the standard mechanism executed by the processor from the medium,
• such that layer polls a monitoring server, distinct from the one or more servers, to determine whether a program attempting to access content on one of the sites as referenced by an address should be permitted to do so.

A server comprising:

• a processor;
• a computer-readable medium;
• and,
• a computer program executed by the processor from the medium to receive polling from clients to determine whether a client program attempting to access content on one of a plurality of sites as referenced by an address should be permitted to do so, the sites hosted on one or more servers and distinct from the processor and computer program,
• such that in response to the polling the computer program returns whether the client program is permitted to access the content on the one of the plurality of sites.

A computerized method comprising:

• generating at a program running on a client a request to access content at a site as referenced by an address so, the site hosted on one or more servers;
• receiving the request at a standard mechanism on the client by which programs running on the client access content on a plurality of sites;
• intercepting the request by an intervening layer within the standard mechanism on the client;
• determining at the intervening layer whether the content is present in a cache of content previously determined to be permissible;
• upon failure to determine that the content is present in the cache,
• polling by the layer of a monitoring server distinct from the one or more servers to determine whether the content is permissible;
• determining at the monitoring server whether the content is present in a database of permissible content;
• and,
• permitting by the layer to the program running on the client to access the content upon determining that the content is permissible.

A computer-readable medium storing a computer program to cause a client computer having an intervening control layer within an otherwise standard mechanism by which programs running on the client access content on a plurality of sites to perform the computerized method comprising:

• generating at one of the programs running on the client a request to access content at one of the sites as referenced by an address, the sites hosted on one or more server computers;
• receiving the request at the standard mechanism;
• intercepting the request by the intervening layer;
• determining at the intervening layer whether the content is present in a cache of content previously determined to be permissible;
• polling by the layer of a monitoring server distinct from the one or more servers to determine whether the content is permissible upon failure to determine that the content is present in the cache;
• and,
• permitting by the layer to the one of the programs running on the client to access the content upon determining that the content is permissible.

A computer-readable medium storing a computer program to cause a monitoring server to perform the computerized method comprising:

• receiving polling from a client computer at a computer distinct from one or more servers hosting content on a plurality of sites to determine whether particular content on one of a plurality of sites as referenced by an address is permissible;
• determining whether the particular content is present in a database of permissible content;
• and,
• indicating to the client computer whether the particular content is permissible,
• wherein the client computer includes an intervening control layer within an otherwise standard mechanism by which programs running on the client access content on the plurality of sites.