Many students have reported problems with viewing content from external links in Blackboard. The reason for this is because blackboard is hosted on a secure server, while the external content is hosted on an unsecured server. As a result, the default behavior in many browsers is to block unsecured content in order to protect sensitive information. However, the end result is that users are unable to see the content in Blackboard.
Displaying Unsecured Content in Mozilla Firefox
If content is now showing up, click on the shield icon that appears to the right of the back button in the Address Bar.
Displaying Unsecured Content in Mozilla Firefox, Part 2
After clicking on the shield icon, you will see a dialog box with the following text: Firefox has blocked content that isn't secure. To view the content:
- At the bottom of the dialog box, you will see a button labeled Keep Blocking. Click the arrow icon next to the button.
- A menu will appear below the button with the following two options: Disable Protection on This Page, or Not Now. Select Disable Protection on This Page.
After selecting this option, refresh the current page, and navigate to the content you wish to view. You should now be able to see the content.
Displaying Unsecured Content in Google Chrome
In Google Chrome, a shield icon will appear in the right portion of the address bar, near the star icon used for bookmarking a page. Click on this icon.
Displaying Unsecured Content in Google Chrome, Part 2
You will then see a dialog box with text reading "This page includes script from unauthenticated sources." Click the button labeled Load Unsafe Script. Then refresh the page, and navigate to the content you wish to view. You should be able to view the content successfully now.
Displaying Unsecured Content in Internet Explorer
At the bottom of the page, a message will appear that reads "Only secure content is displayed." To view the content, click the Show all Content button and refresh the page and navigate to the content you wish to view.