diff --git a/client/src/containers/NavigationLinks/view.jsx b/client/src/containers/NavigationLinks/view.jsx
index 2f8ce8ca..c1a71335 100644
--- a/client/src/containers/NavigationLinks/view.jsx
+++ b/client/src/containers/NavigationLinks/view.jsx
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import React from 'react';
 import { NavLink, withRouter } from 'react-router-dom';
 import NavBarChannelOptionsDropdown from '@components/NavBarChannelOptionsDropdown';
-import isApprovedChannel from '../../utils/isApprovedChannel';
+import isApprovedChannel from '../../../../utils/isApprovedChannel';
 
 const VIEW = 'VIEW';
 const LOGOUT = 'LOGOUT';
diff --git a/server/controllers/api/channel/data/index.js b/server/controllers/api/channel/data/index.js
index b9513edc..c0401e1f 100644
--- a/server/controllers/api/channel/data/index.js
+++ b/server/controllers/api/channel/data/index.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 const { handleErrorResponse } = require('../../../utils/errorHandlers.js');
 const getChannelData = require('./getChannelData.js');
-const isApprovedChannel = require('../../../../utils/isApprovedChannel');
-const { publishing: { serveOnlyApproved } } = require('@config/siteConfig');
+const isApprovedChannel = require('../../../../../utils/isApprovedChannel');
+const { publishing: { serveOnlyApproved, approvedChannels } } = require('@config/siteConfig');
 const NO_CHANNEL = 'NO_CHANNEL';
 
 /*
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ const channelData = ({ ip, originalUrl, body, params }, res) => {
   const chanObj = {};
   if (channelName) chanObj.name = channelName;
   if (channelClaimId) chanObj[(channelClaimId.length === 40 ? 'longId' : 'shortId')] = channelClaimId;
-  if (serveOnlyApproved && !isApprovedChannel(chanObj)) {
+  if (serveOnlyApproved && !isApprovedChannel(chanObj, approvedChannels)) {
     return res.status(404).json({
       success: false,
       message: 'This content is unavailable',
diff --git a/server/controllers/api/claim/publish/index.js b/server/controllers/api/claim/publish/index.js
index c5a2bdbb..7fa525d0 100644
--- a/server/controllers/api/claim/publish/index.js
+++ b/server/controllers/api/claim/publish/index.js
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@ const logger = require('winston');
 const { details: { host }, publishing: { disabled, disabledMessage } } = require('@config/siteConfig');
 
 const { sendGATimingEvent } = require('../../../../utils/googleAnalytics.js');
-const isApprovedChannel = require('../../../../utils/isApprovedChannel');
-const { publishing: { publishOnlyApproved } } = require('@config/siteConfig');
+const isApprovedChannel = require('../../../../../utils/isApprovedChannel');
+const { publishing: { publishOnlyApproved, approvedChannels } } = require('@config/siteConfig');
 
 const { handleErrorResponse } = require('../../../utils/errorHandlers.js');
 
@@ -57,7 +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 && !isApprovedChannel({ longId: channelClaimId })) {
+      if (publishOnlyApproved && !isApprovedChannel({ longId: channelClaimId }, approvedChannels)) {
         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 031bfc67..1feb5ba2 100644
--- a/server/controllers/assets/utils/getClaimIdAndServeAsset.js
+++ b/server/controllers/assets/utils/getClaimIdAndServeAsset.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 const logger = require('winston');
 
 const db = require('../../../models');
-const isApprovedChannel = require('../../../utils/isApprovedChannel');
+const isApprovedChannel = require('../../../../utils/isApprovedChannel');
 
 const getClaimId = require('../../utils/getClaimId.js');
 const { handleErrorResponse } = require('../../utils/errorHandlers.js');
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ const BLOCKED_CLAIM = 'BLOCKED_CLAIM';
 const NO_FILE = 'NO_FILE';
 const CONTENT_UNAVAILABLE = 'CONTENT_UNAVAILABLE';
 
-const { publishing: { serveOnlyApproved } } = require('@config/siteConfig');
+const { publishing: { serveOnlyApproved, approvedChannels } } = require('@config/siteConfig');
 
 const getClaimIdAndServeAsset = (channelName, channelClaimId, claimName, claimId, originalUrl, ip, res) => {
   getClaimId(channelName, channelClaimId, claimName, claimId)
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ const getClaimIdAndServeAsset = (channelName, channelClaimId, claimName, claimId
       });
     })
     .then(claim => {
-      if (serveOnlyApproved && !isApprovedChannel({ longId: claim.dataValues.certificateId })) {
+      if (serveOnlyApproved && !isApprovedChannel({ longId: claim.dataValues.certificateId }, approvedChannels)) {
         throw new Error(CONTENT_UNAVAILABLE);
       }
       logger.debug('Outpoint:', claim.dataValues.outpoint);
diff --git a/server/models/claim.js b/server/models/claim.js
index 8987b7a1..0385cc02 100644
--- a/server/models/claim.js
+++ b/server/models/claim.js
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 const logger = require('winston');
 const returnShortId = require('./utils/returnShortId.js');
-const isApprovedChannel = require('../utils/isApprovedChannel');
+const isApprovedChannel = require('../../utils/isApprovedChannel');
 const { assetDefaults: { thumbnail: defaultThumbnail }, details: { host } } = require('@config/siteConfig');
-const { publishing: { serveOnlyApproved } } = require('@config/siteConfig');
+const { publishing: { serveOnlyApproved, approvedChannels } } = require('@config/siteConfig');
 
 const NO_CLAIM = 'NO_CLAIM';
 
@@ -364,7 +364,7 @@ module.exports = (sequelize, { STRING, BOOLEAN, INTEGER, TEXT, DECIMAL }) => {
           where: { name, claimId },
         })
         .then(claimArray => {
-          if (serveOnlyApproved && !isApprovedChannel({ longId: claimArray[0].dataValues.certificateId })) {
+          if (serveOnlyApproved && !isApprovedChannel({ longId: claimArray[0].dataValues.certificateId }, approvedChannels)) {
             reject('This content is unavailable');
           }
           switch (claimArray.length) {
diff --git a/server/utils/isApprovedChannel.js b/server/utils/isApprovedChannel.js
deleted file mode 100644
index e1b451e2..00000000
--- a/server/utils/isApprovedChannel.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,11 +0,0 @@
-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;
diff --git a/client/src/utils/isApprovedChannel.js b/utils/isApprovedChannel.js
similarity index 100%
rename from client/src/utils/isApprovedChannel.js
rename to utils/isApprovedChannel.js