Starbucks Says It Will Start Blocking Porn On Its Stores' Wi-Fi In 2019

Starbucks announced that it will start blocking pornography viewing on its stores' Wi-Fi starting in 2019. 'A Starbucks representative told NBC News that the viewing of 'egregious content' over its stores' Wi-Fi has always violated its policy, but the company now has a way to stop it,' reports NBC News. From the report: 'We have identified a solution to prevent this content from being viewed within our stores and we will begin introducing it to our U.S. locations in 2019,' the company representative said. The announcement was first reported by Business Insider and comes after a petition from internet-safety advocacy group Enough is Enough garnered more than 26,000 signatures. The nonprofit launched a porn-free campaign aimed at McDonald's and Starbucks in 2014, and it says that while McDonald's 'responded rapidly and positively,' Starbucks did not.

In a letter that [Enough is Enough CEO Donna Rice Hughes] said she received from Starbucks over the summer, the company vowed to address the issue 'once we determine that our customers can access our free Wi-Fi in a way that also doesn't involuntarily block unintended content.' Starbucks has not released details about how it plans to restrict the viewing of pornographic sites or illegal content over its Wi-Fi. In response, the vice president of YouPorn responded by sending a memo to staff banning Starbucks products from company offices starting Jan. 1, 2019.

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