Advertisement

Starbucks says it will block porn on free wi-fi in all of its US cafes

Starbucks says it will start blocking porn from 2019 (PA)
Starbucks says it will start blocking porn from 2019 (PA)

Coffee giant Starbucks has said it will block all access to porn sites on its free wi-fi in US cafes from next year.

Although it was always prohibited to watch explicit content in store, Starbucks says it will now actively block pornography.

It is not yet clear if the move will be introduced in the UK. Starbucks were approached for a statement but there was no immediate response.

While it rarely occurs, the use of Starbucks public Wi-Fi to view illegal or egregious content is not, nor has it ever been permitted,” Starbucks said in a statement to BuzzFeed News.

Starbucks says the move will come into force from next year (PA)
Starbucks says the move will come into force from next year (PA)

Starbucks had come under pressure from a US-based non-profit organisation, Enough is Enough, to filter pornography in its stores.

Two years ago, McDonald’s changed its wi-fi policies after similar pressure from the group.

Enough is Enough has previously attacked Starbucks for failing to meet a promise to block such content back in 2016.

Starbucks has not yet released details about how it plans to restrict the viewing of pornographic sites over its Wi-Fi.

However, it said that it had ‘identified a solution’ to stop access to pornography in all of its US locations.

In response, the head of YouPorn, a free video-sharing site sent a memo to its staff banning Starbucks products from company offices starting Jan. 1, 2019.

The move to block porn has caused some amusement, with people asking if others really access such sites while in a coffee house.

Many took to social media to ask who would do such a thing – and if it really happens.

Others though complained that the prices charged by Starbucks were ‘more obscene’ than anything you can get on free wifi.

Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK