Four pornographic sites are blocked in France because they do not verify the age of their users

Seized by two child protection associations, the Paris Court of Appeal called for the blocking of four pornographic sites established outside the European Union. The effectiveness of the decision is debated.

The threat had been made for many months, it is starting to be carried out – in small amounts. Four pornographic sites have been blocked in France since Friday November 15 by four of the main internet service providers, who received court orders.

These sites (Xhamster, Tukif, Mrsexe and Iciporno) are accused of not properly verifying the age of their users in order to prevent access to minors, which no pornographic site currently does. Seized by two child protection associations, the Paris Court of Appeal found in a decision of October 17 that “the best interests of the child” was a “primary consideration”justifying infringing “other rights such as freedom of expression”.

The blocking of sites ordered by the Paris Court of Appeal should continue “until the implementation by the latter of a control other than purely declarative of the fact that the users are of legal age is demonstrated”the court said. Seized about several pornographic sites, the court of appeal decided to block only sites hosted outside the European Union, and to wait for sites established in other EU countries for a response from the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).

The current Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot, previously Minister Delegate in charge of Digital in the government of Elisabeth Borne, congratulated on the X network “a huge victory in the fight for online child protection”. Internet users are more circumspect, recalling the very large number of existing pornographic sites on the Internet, the ease of recreating new sites, and the many ways to circumvent geographic blocking of websites.

According to Arcom, the French audiovisual regulator, 2.3 million minors visit pornographic sites every month. From the age of 12, more than half of boys using the Internet visit these sites on average every month.