Those who want to watch smut will have to find a different coffee shop to do it, as Starbucks simply won't be having porn-watchers inside its stores anymore, at least starting next year.
The coffee chain said it will block porn from its network beginning 2019 by virtue of a filter that will prevent customers from accessing and watching pornographic content and other explicit material on their devices, at least those using the store's Wi-Fi. It is not clear whether people will still be able to access porn using other methods, such as their own mobile data.
Starbucks Is blocking Porn Next Year
For years, Starbucks has been pressured to do something about its porn problem. It seems people just love leeching off the store's Wi-Fi and watching porn while they're at it. That is changing very soon, the store said.
"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," according to the company, as reported by The Verge. "We have identified a solution to prevent this content from being viewed within our stores and we will begin introducing it to our US locations in 2019."
Starbucks's plans to block porn was first reported by Business Insider. The company failed to provide any details on exactly what kind of filter its stores will be using, only that it has gone through multiple methods before landing on the most successful one. It is probably best not to disclose what method this is, anyway, lest hackers discover a clever work-around.
Enough Is Enough
An internet safety organization called Enough Is Enough is one of those who pressured the coffee chain into blocking porn. It has been aggressively encouraging Starbucks and a host of other franchises offering Wi-Fi to put up content filters. Such efforts have been going on for years. McDonald's actually caved in and finally began blocking porn inside its stores in 2016. At the time, Starbucks said it would do the same thing but has since failed to follow through.
According to the organization, easy accessibility of porn on establishments with Wi-Fi attract pedophiles and sex offenders and therefore put children at risk.
"Starbucks is keeping the doors wide open for convicted sex offenders and others to fly under the radar from law enforcement and use free, public Wi-Fi services to access illegal child porn and hard-core pornography," CEO Donna Rice Hughes said of the matter:
With big chains following Enough Is Enough's initiatives around blocking porn, it is very likely that other smaller companies will follow suit, paving the way for a safer internet experience for all patrons.
