Troubleshooting Tip: FortiClient Web Filter blocks Gemini AI downloads using blob/data URLs
| Description | This article describes an issue where the FortiClient Web Filter blocks image or video downloads from Google Gemini AI due to the use of browser-internal blob/data URLs. |
| Scope | FortiClient, FortiClient EMS. |
| Solution | Image or video downloads from Google Gemini AI fail when FortiClient Web Filter is enabled. Traffic logs show URLs similar to the following: http://blob/d65971f8-04c2-4850-8e35-e85db289469d.
These URLs are internally generated by the web browser and do not correspond to real domain names. FortiClient Web Filter categorizes this traffic as Unrated and blocks it when the Unrated category is not allowed in the Web Filter policy. Adding the URL to an allow list does not resolve the issue because blob/data URLs cannot be evaluated using standard URL or domain matching.
Solution:
To allow Google Gemini AI downloads without enabling the Unrated category globally, modify the Web Filter XML profile. Under the webbrowser_plugin section of the Web Filter XML profile, add the following parameter:
<ignore_data_url>1</ignore_data_url> This configuration instructs FortiClient to ignore blob/data URLs during Web Filter evaluation while keeping standard Unrated web traffic blocked. |
