YNOT – Tunisia’s court of first instance has ordered internet service providers in the country to block all pornographic websites by Sunday. The ban reverses a decision to open the Tunisian web as part of a move to increase civil liberties in the country following a revolt that deposed former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in mid-January.
Issued Thursday, the ruling came at the request of three attorneys who petitioned for the ban based on alleged “negative psychological, physiological, social and educational effects” of pornography. In addition, the attorneys claimed sexually explicit materials offend the moral and social values of Islam, the primary religion in the country.
In their petition, the attorneys cited a British proposal to filter out adult content across the board and require consenting adults to “opt in” before being able to access online porn. The attorneys noted even Western nations are aware of the potential for sexual material to harm children.
According to GulfNews.com, ISPs do not believe blocking pornography “at the source” will prove effective.
“Technical challenges mean any large-scale filtering system is doomed to failure,” the website noted.
The Tunisian government has made no formal statement regarding a potential blockade of websites in the new dot-xxx sponsored Top Level Domain, although the approach seems likely. Since the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers approved dot-xxx in March, officials in India, China and Kenya have indicated their countries will block the controversial domain, and Japan is considering a censorship measure. The Australian Sex Party, a registered political entity, has voiced concern that its government may at least consider blocking dot-xxx.
