diff --git a/client/src/containers/NavigationLinks/view.jsx b/client/src/containers/NavigationLinks/view.jsx
index 3876702e..2f8ce8ca 100644
--- a/client/src/containers/NavigationLinks/view.jsx
+++ b/client/src/containers/NavigationLinks/view.jsx
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import React from 'react';
 import { NavLink, withRouter } from 'react-router-dom';
 import NavBarChannelOptionsDropdown from '@components/NavBarChannelOptionsDropdown';
+import isApprovedChannel from '../../utils/isApprovedChannel';
 
 const VIEW = 'VIEW';
 const LOGOUT = 'LOGOUT';
@@ -31,7 +32,7 @@ class NavigationLinks extends React.Component {
     const { site, channelLongId, channelName } = this.props;
     return (
       <div className='navigation-links'>
-        {(!site.publishOnlyApproved || site.approvedChannels.includes(channelLongId)) && <NavLink
+        {(!site.publishOnlyApproved || isApprovedChannel({ longId: channelLongId }, site.approvedChannels)) && <NavLink
           className='nav-bar-link link--nav'
           activeClassName='link--nav-active'
           to='/'
diff --git a/client/src/utils/isApprovedChannel.js b/client/src/utils/isApprovedChannel.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..aaf8dcf8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/src/utils/isApprovedChannel.js
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+function isApprovedChannel (channel, channels) {
+  const { name, shortId: short, longId: long } = channel;
+  return Boolean(
+    (long && channels.find(chan => chan.longId === long)) ||
+    (name && short && channels.find(chan => chan.name === name && chan.shortId === short))
+  );
+}
+
+module.exports = isApprovedChannel;
diff --git a/server/controllers/api/channel/data/index.js b/server/controllers/api/channel/data/index.js
index c9ceebf4..440326b5 100644
--- a/server/controllers/api/channel/data/index.js
+++ b/server/controllers/api/channel/data/index.js
@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
 const { handleErrorResponse } = require('../../../utils/errorHandlers.js');
-
 const getChannelData = require('./getChannelData.js');
-const { publishing: { serveOnlyApproved, approvedChannels } } = require('@config/siteConfig');
-
+const isApprovedChannel = require('../../../../utils/isApprovedChannel');
+const { publishing: { serveOnlyApproved } } = require('@config/siteConfig');
 const NO_CHANNEL = 'NO_CHANNEL';
 
 /*
@@ -15,12 +14,17 @@ const channelData = ({ ip, originalUrl, body, params }, res) => {
   const channelName = params.channelName;
   let channelClaimId = params.channelClaimId;
   if (channelClaimId === 'none') channelClaimId = null;
-  if (serveOnlyApproved && approvedChannels && !approvedChannels.includes(channelClaimId)) {
+
+  const chanObj = {};
+  if (channelName) chanObj.name = channelName;
+  if (channelClaimId) chanObj[(channelClaimId.length === 40 ? 'longId' : 'shortId')] = channelClaimId;
+  if (serveOnlyApproved && !isApprovedChannel(chanObj)) {
     return res.status(404).json({
       success: false,
       message: 'This spee.ch instance serves limited content which does not include this asset',
     });
   }
+
   getChannelData(channelName, channelClaimId)
     .then(data => {
       res.status(200).json({
diff --git a/server/controllers/api/claim/publish/index.js b/server/controllers/api/claim/publish/index.js
index 4f551053..c5a2bdbb 100644
--- a/server/controllers/api/claim/publish/index.js
+++ b/server/controllers/api/claim/publish/index.js
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@ const logger = require('winston');
 const { details: { host }, publishing: { disabled, disabledMessage } } = require('@config/siteConfig');
 
 const { sendGATimingEvent } = require('../../../../utils/googleAnalytics.js');
-const { publishing: { publishOnlyApproved, approvedChannels } } = require('@config/siteConfig');
+const isApprovedChannel = require('../../../../utils/isApprovedChannel');
+const { publishing: { publishOnlyApproved } } = require('@config/siteConfig');
 
 const { handleErrorResponse } = require('../../../utils/errorHandlers.js');
 
@@ -56,7 +57,7 @@ const claimPublish = ({ body, files, headers, ip, originalUrl, user, tor }, res)
   // check channel authorization
   authenticateUser(channelName, channelId, channelPassword, user)
     .then(({ channelName, channelClaimId }) => {
-      if (publishOnlyApproved && approvedChannels && !approvedChannels.includes(channelClaimId)) {
+      if (publishOnlyApproved && !isApprovedChannel({ longId: channelClaimId })) {
         const error = {
           name   : UNAPPROVED_CHANNEL,
           message: 'This spee.ch instance only allows publishing to approved channels',
diff --git a/server/controllers/assets/utils/getClaimIdAndServeAsset.js b/server/controllers/assets/utils/getClaimIdAndServeAsset.js
index 66486ba8..af81162c 100644
--- a/server/controllers/assets/utils/getClaimIdAndServeAsset.js
+++ b/server/controllers/assets/utils/getClaimIdAndServeAsset.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 const logger = require('winston');
 
 const db = require('../../../models');
+const isApprovedChannel = require('../../../utils/isApprovedChannel');
 
 const getClaimId = require('../../utils/getClaimId.js');
 const { handleErrorResponse } = require('../../utils/errorHandlers.js');
@@ -13,7 +14,7 @@ const BLOCKED_CLAIM = 'BLOCKED_CLAIM';
 const NO_FILE = 'NO_FILE';
 const UNAPPROVED_CHANNEL = 'UNAPPROVED_CHANNEL';
 
-const { publishing: { serveOnlyApproved, approvedChannels } } = require('@config/siteConfig');
+const { publishing: { serveOnlyApproved } } = require('@config/siteConfig');
 
 const getClaimIdAndServeAsset = (channelName, channelClaimId, claimName, claimId, originalUrl, ip, res) => {
   getClaimId(channelName, channelClaimId, claimName, claimId)
@@ -28,7 +29,7 @@ const getClaimIdAndServeAsset = (channelName, channelClaimId, claimName, claimId
       });
     })
     .then(claim => {
-      if (serveOnlyApproved && !approvedChannels.includes(claim.dataValues.certificateId)) {
+      if (serveOnlyApproved && !isApprovedChannel({ longId: claim.dataValues.certificateId })) {
         throw new Error(UNAPPROVED_CHANNEL);
       }
       logger.debug('Outpoint:', claim.dataValues.outpoint);
diff --git a/server/models/claim.js b/server/models/claim.js
index 55010987..6917d189 100644
--- a/server/models/claim.js
+++ b/server/models/claim.js
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 const logger = require('winston');
 const returnShortId = require('./utils/returnShortId.js');
 const { assetDefaults: { thumbnail: defaultThumbnail }, details: { host } } = require('@config/siteConfig');
-const { publishing: { serveOnlyApproved, approvedChannels } } = require('@config/siteConfig');
+const { publishing: { serveOnlyApproved } } = require('@config/siteConfig');
+const isApprovedChannel = require('../utils/isApprovedChannel');
 
 const NO_CLAIM = 'NO_CLAIM';
 const NOT_ALLOWED = 'NOT_ALLOWED';
@@ -364,7 +365,7 @@ module.exports = (sequelize, { STRING, BOOLEAN, INTEGER, TEXT, DECIMAL }) => {
           where: { name, claimId },
         })
         .then(claimArray => {
-          if (serveOnlyApproved && !approvedChannels.includes(claimArray[0].dataValues.certificateId)) {
+          if (serveOnlyApproved && !isApprovedChannel({ longId: claimArray[0].dataValues.certificateId })) {
             reject(NOT_ALLOWED);
           }
           switch (claimArray.length) {
diff --git a/server/utils/isApprovedChannel.js b/server/utils/isApprovedChannel.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e1b451e2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/utils/isApprovedChannel.js
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+const { publishing: { approvedChannels } } = require('@config/siteConfig');
+
+function isApprovedChannel (channel, channels = approvedChannels) {
+  const { name, shortId: short, longId: long } = channel;
+  return Boolean(
+    (long && channels.find(chan => chan.longId === long)) ||
+    (name && short && channels.find(chan => chan.name === name && chan.shortId === short))
+  );
+}
+
+module.exports = isApprovedChannel;