AFP/Getty Images
Most of us head to Starbucks to enjoy a delicious latte, but some people are going for more, ahem, sinful indulgences. So many customers apparently use the coffee chain's free WiFi to stream pornography that Starbucks announced it will soon be filtering its in-store Internet access as much as it filters its brews.
The company says that as soon as it determines how to block explicit content without unintentionally blocking safe-for-coffee-shop sites it will modify its network so that pornography can't be viewed when customers are using its WiFi. "In the meantime, we reserve the right to stop any behavior that interferes with our customer experience, including what is accessed on our free Wi-Fi," a spokesperson said.
The move comes after years of pressure from internet-safety organization Enough is Enough, and on the heels of McDonald's making a similar announcement. According to CNN, McDonald's put its filters in place last week. Those same filters were already in use at the fast food chain's United Kingdom stores.
"McDonald's is committed to providing a safe environment for our customers," a spokesperson said. "We had not heard from our customers that this was an issue, but we saw an opportunity that is consistent with our goal of providing an enjoyable experience for families."
Enough Is Enough president Donna Rice Hughes told CNN that while there are no statistics on how often Starbucks and McDonald's WiFi networks are used by customers to access porn, she cited reports that public WiFi has increasingly been used to traffic child pornography. "These criminal felonies are difficult to deter because of the anonymity offered by open Wi-Fi," she said.
With its announcement, Starbucks joins other chains that have long filtered their WiFi networks, including Panera Bread, Subway, and Chick-fil-A.
Source: http://www.glamour.com/story/starbucks-will-block-pornography-streaming-inside-stores
No comments: