Two associations for the protection of children, e-Enfance and la Voix de l'Enfant, are suing the main French internet service providers to obtain the blocking of several pornographic sites deemed too accessible to minors, their officials said on Friday. lawyer Me Laurent Bayon.
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SFR, Orange, Bouygues Télécom, Free, Colt Technologies Services and Outre mer Télécom were summoned on Thursday, September 9 before the Paris court.
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There are technical solutions
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These associations believe that sites like PornHub, Tukif, XNXX, xHamster, xvideos, Redtube and YouPorn make pornographic content accessible to minors by not checking the age of Internet users or by simply asking them to tick a box stating that they are of age, according to Me Bayon.
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However, the Penal Code prohibits leaving pornographic content accessible to minors.
And the law on domestic violence in 2020 established that asking a user if he is of age is not enough to exonerate the company of its responsibilities, indicates the lawyer.
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Today there are technical solutions that protect privacy,
” notes Me Bayon.
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We are asking the courts to order internet service providers to block sites that expose minors to pornographic content
," he explained.
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The companies that own these sites are opaque and almost untouchable because of their organizational structure, often being located in tax havens.
My clients will try to act on the pipes to turn off the tap,
”he says.
Orange awaits the court decision
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We will apply the court ruling and close these sites as quickly as possible if the courts ask us to do so
," says one at Orange.
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But in the absence of a court decision, we apply the rules of net neutrality and freedom of expression,
" says the company.
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We are implementing a lot of actions to make parents aware of responsible use of digital technology,
" she assures, referring in particular to her partnership with e-Enfance, an association for the protection of children on the Internet, and the application Xooloo parental control.
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The law has been amended (with the law against violence against women of July 2020) in order to set up a system to fight against adult sites that do not sufficiently secure access to potentially offensive content
", notes- do we at Altice France (SFR). "
This procedure provides for the intervention of the president of the CSA with the sites in question and a blocking by the providers of Internet access if the sites do not strengthen their methods of access
", explains Altice.
The law provides for an implementing decree which is supposed to specify the modalities of implementation. "
This decree has not yet been published
"
, underlines
Altice. "
The access providers cannot take the initiative of a blocking without a judicial decision
", one continues, while assuring that "
we will apply of course and with diligence any decision of the judge who would ask us to block such sites. .
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