Hard luck: Starbucks to block patrons from watching porn on WiFi
Starbucks will reportedly no longer allow patrons to watch porn on their free WiFi from 2019, following pressure from an anti-pornography activist group that accused the company of facilitating illegal and unsavory viewing.
The nonprofit internet safety organization Enough is Enough (EIE) slammed the coffee chain for “keeping the doors wide open for convicted sex offenders and others to fly under the radar from law enforcement and use free, public Wi-Fi services to access illegal child porn and hard-core pornography,” said CEO Donna Rice Hughes in a statement.
.@Starbucks has filtered its WIFI in UK for many years; however, Starbucks broke its promise of over 2 years ago to filter child porn and porn on its public WiFi in America. What about America's children? https://t.co/byIlvYSTVQ#safewifi#starbucks#friendlywifi
— Enough Is Enough (@EIETweets) November 28, 2018
EIE has been leading a campaign to end porn access in Starbucks, and other US companies that supply free WiFi, since 2014, amassing nearly 50,000 signatures of support along the way. The statement said Starbucks promised to consider blocking porn access in 2016, as they already do in Europe, but has allegedly “not fulfilled that pledge.”
On Wednesday, Starbucks confirmed in a statement to Business Insider that they will be restricting customer viewing across its US locations from next year.
“To ensure the Third Place remains safe and welcoming to all, we have identified a solution to prevent this content from being viewed within our stores and we will begin introducing it to our US locations in 2019,” said a company spokesperson.
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Over the past two years, EIE has been successful in pressuring Subway, Chick-fil-A and McDonalds into filtering their free WiFi to prevent patrons from accessing porn.
RT.com has reached out to Starbucks for comment.
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