Surfshark introduces web content blocker for home users
Cybersecurity and privacy firm Surfshark has launched a new web content blocker aimed at home users who want to filter online material without the tracking aspect often found in parental control software.
The new feature lets users choose the content categories they want to restrict and then lock them with two-factor authentication. The same settings can be applied across all devices tied to the same account.
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Surfshark describes the tool as offering a more private form of online safety, while avoiding tracking user activity. It can be enabled within the Surfshark app under Settings and once live users can select which categories they want to block. Users with One or One+ plans can access the new feature automatically, but entry-level subscribers will need to upgrade to use it.
The new feature works with or without an active VPN connection, although Surfshark naturally recommends pairing it with its VPN for “added privacy.”
In practice, the blocker acts like a DNS-level filter, stopping access to sites that match certain categories. Similar tools have been built into browsers, operating systems, and routers for years, but this is the first time Surfshark has offered it.
Families or shared users can use it to set fair online boundaries, and the 2FA lock adds a small layer of protection against tampering, although anyone with access to the main account could still potentially modify the filters.
Surfshark VPN
In addition, Surfshark says it has expanded its VPN network and now boasts over 4,500 servers worldwide. Rather than adding further regions, this expansion introduces additional servers to existing territories, including the US, UK, and Japan, providing more choice.
Offering 10Gbps connections, these servers use “self-healing” technology to reroute VPN traffic automatically should a server go offline. There’s also a route optimization feature, currently limited to macOS, that adjusts VPN paths in real time to improve performance.
What do you think about Surfshark’s new web content blocker? Let us know in the comments.