Justice rejects a request to block pornographic sites in France

The Judicial Court of Paris did not give reason to two child rights protection associations that accused nine sites not to do enough to prevent minors from accessing pornographic content.

Le Monde

The judicial court of Paris rejected, Friday, October 8, the request for blocking several pornographic sites formulated by two child protection associations. e-childhood and the child’s voice bunked by referred to the leading French Internet access providers, asking forbidden access to the main pornographic sites, accusing these not to do enough to prevent minors access adults reserved for adults.

Nine pornographic sites were concerned: Pornhub, Mrsexe, iciporno, Tukif, Xnxx, Xhamster, Xvideos, YouPorn and RedTube. He was criticized for just asking their visitors to click on a button to confirm on the honor they are major. The two child protection associations at the origin of this legal action rely on a recent legislative change making these protections decorated.

A legislative change

Indeed, the law of July 30, 2020 aimed at protecting victims of domestic violence contains a component on access to pornographic sites. According to this text, it is no longer sufficient to ask for a simple majority statement, which places most free pornographic sites in an offense (punishable by 375,000 euros fine).

were assigned to the Paris court court, on September 9, the main French Internet access providers, SFR, Orange, Free, Bouygues Telecom and Colt Technology Telecom for companies. The latter had erected against this assignment, considering that the action should aim first and foremost the publishers or hosts of the pornographic sites concerned, which the judicial court has, on Friday, also emphasized to motivate its decision.

During the hearing, the lawyer of the Children’s Rights Associations, M e Laurent Bayon, had recalled that the access providers were directly assigned to the Impossibility of identifying publishers of pornographic sites. Were listed, in the summary assignment, the nine sites concerned, with each one lack of legal notices or means to go back to the identity of one of the people behind the platform. Contacted by Le Monde, M e Bayon regretted the rejection of the demands of its customers, again stressing the opacity that surrounds the publishers of pornographic sites, companies, according to him, “who consider that ‘They do not have to respect the criminal law “. “The Tribunal has chosen the way for inefficiency,” reacted the child’s e-childhood lawyer and the child’s voice.

Calendar chance, a very expected application decree has been published Friday in the Official Journal. This text would Specifies in particular the modalities of application

/Media reports.