With Australians social distancing and self-isolating to prevent the spread of COVID-19, blocking porn online is essential to prevent internet gridlock and resultant isolation or even loss of lives, the Australian Christian Lobby said today.
“Global internet traffic is tipped to rise by 40 per cent,” ACL spokesperson Wendy Francis said today, “Already, content providers like YouTube, Apple, Amazon and Netflix have delivered on European authorities’ request to reduce streaming quality to accommodate network demand.”
“Pornography use is responsible for around 30% of all internet downloads (WebRoot, HuffPost),” Mrs Francis added, “This is extremely worrying when domestic violence experts blame pornography for our current domestic violence crisis and Australian DV advocates, such as Domestic Violence Victoria, are bracing for a similar COVID-19-driven increase in violence to that seen in China.”
“With children now home from school, the federal government must at least implement its own standing committee’s recommendation that age verification should be mandatory to access online pornography.”
“Health professionals networking to address this crisis, elderly Australians staying in touch with families, Australian businesses maintaining workflow, students connecting with teachers, households shopping for essentials – this is what we need the internet for right now. The government must clear the porn blockage,” Mrs Francis said.
The ACL calls on the federal government to direct telecommunications and internet service providers to block pornography during the COVID-19 crisis.
ENDS
