Russian Government Blocks Porn Sites to Protect Children

Utah was a very modest start to the yet-to-be-realized war on pornography.

Russia kicks it up a big notch although it is nowhere near a total ban as I would like to see

but at least there is an attempt at oversight which is sadly lacking in the west

Two Russian courts ruled the "spread of pornography" is harmful to children

By Doug G. Ware


The Russian government on Thursday extended a ban on at least two Internet porn websites after two courts ruled the spread of adult content is harmful to the development of children. The bans were first implemented last year and blacklisted nearly a dozen sites. File Photo by Yuri Gripas/UPI | License Photo

MOSCOW, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- The Russian government has taken a firm stand against the rampant availability of Internet pornography to its citizens.

Moscow, specifically media watchdog Roskomnadzor, on Wednesday announced it has extended bans on at least two adult sites -- and, perhaps as expected, some Russians aren't happy about it.

The extension follows two judicial rulings in recent weeks that the sites "spread pornography" that is detrimental to the development of children. The bans were first implemented on 11 porn sites last year.

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In addition to an avalanche of criticism on social media Thursday, the Russian media watchdog also received an offer of a free premium account by one of the banned sites -- which it promptly declined.

"Sorry, we are not in the market and the demography is not a commodity," Roskomnadzor answered.

While the prohibition has been roundly panned, some advocates believe the move is a positive action to defend family values and the safety of children from a wildly unregulated Internet porn landscape.

Last year, Roskomnadzor responded to one critic by telling them, "as an alternative you could try and meet someone in real life." Thursday, the watchdog said that advice is "still relevant."

Roskomnadzor said the ban could be lifted only after a total revamp of the sites, one news agency reported.

In recent years, the Russian government has issued temporary bans on various adult Internet sites.

I wonder how they determine which sites to block and which to not block? What is the standard they have to meet?