Browsers (Internet Explorer 9 or later, Chrome 21 or later, Firefox 23 or later ) will display an “unsecure content” or “mixed content” security notification if you try to load non-secure (http URL) external content within Blackboard (e.g., embedded Youtube videos, Screencast videos, etc.).
Our Blackboard is running as a secure server (https URL). Modern browsers now warn if you are trying to load insecure content within a secure page — as it could possibly be malicious. If you trust the content you are trying to display, you would need to explicitly allow the content to load, otherwise you would get a blank area where you expect content to appear.
- MS Internet Explorer mixed-content warning – http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee264315(v=vs.85).aspx
- Google Chrome insecure content warning – http://support.google.com/chrome/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1342714
- Firefox 23 or later now enables mixed content blocking by default – https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Security/MixedContent
Another great tip to help your students and reduce troubleshooting, is to include a direct link to the non-secure content in your course that will open in a new window/tab.
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