A policy-based cache manager, including a memory storing a cache of digital content, a plurality of policies, and a policy index to the cache contents, the policy index indicating allowable cache content for each of a plurality of policies, a content scanner for scanning a digital content received, to derive a corresponding content profile, and a content evaluator for determining whether a given digital content is allowable relative to a given policy, based on the content profile. A method is also described and claimed.