No More Free Internet Adult Content At Your Favorite Hot Spots (VIDEO)

When I first came upon this article on CNNMoney, I admit that I started to laugh.

The story reports that people have complained to both Starbucks and McDonald’s that those who access the free WiFi have been looking at internet porn.

What an image! A family of hungry, excited little ones is pulling fries out their Happy Meals while Grandpa catches some hot action on his iPhone.

Or even more hilarious is the image of the hipster internet journalist sipping his grande Americano while scanning the web for naughty pictures.

It just seemed so completely odd and inexplicable to imagine people watching porn in either of these very public places. I laughed.

Then I read the article more closely. Two anti-pornography groups were behind the move to encourage these businesses to block porn from their free WiFi services.

One site called Enough is Enough works to make the internet safer for children by educating families, pushing businesses to limit access to pornographic sites, and working with governmental groups to pass safety laws for online content and use.

The other group is called the National Center on Sexual Exploitation. Its focus is more specifically on ending the abuse and exploitation of children for sexual purposes. It works to expose the links between pornography and sexual violence and exploitation.

Donna Rice Hughes is president of Enough is Enough. Upon hearing that both Starbucks and McDonald’s are finally going to install internet filters, she said:

“This is a huge victory. We’re proud of Starbucks and McDonalds for stepping up to the plate. Internet pornography is a public health crisis. Parents need to know which family restaurants are safe from online threats.”

The article states that its hard to get any statistics on how often inappropriate sites are accessed at WiFi hotspots, but there have been reports of people involved with sex trafficking and child pornography using the free WiFi to conduct their “business.”

The anonymity of the public WiFi makes it difficult for these people to be caught.

I’m not laughing any more. Child sexual abuse is nothing to snicker at. Good for these groups for pushing to make children safer. Good for McDonald’s and Starbucks for installing those filters.

In fact, I think I’m craving an iced mocha latte right now. Maybe some chicken fingers on my way home, too.

Featured image via plantronicsgermany, available through a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Karen is a retired elementary school teacher with many years of progressive activism behind her. She is the proud mother of three young adults who were all arrested with Occupy Wall Street. To see what she writes about in her spare time, check out her blog at "Empty Nest, Full Life"