Pornography: France wants to strengthen Arcom's powers to protect minors

DR

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

The Minister Delegate for Digital unveiled this Sunday, May 7, one of the flagship measures of the law to "secure and regulate the digital space" which will be presented Wednesday in the Council of Ministers.

Advertising

Read more

Emmanuel Macron had promised it three years ago: no minor will be able to access pornographic sites. Since then, the control mechanisms to access these sites have not really discouraged young French.

On Wednesday, will therefore be presented to the Council of Ministers a series of measures to "secure" including the Internet. The main provision to prevent access to online pornography for the youngest is that the government will entrust the Regulatory Authority for Audiovisual and Digital Communication (Arcom) with the power to order, without the assistance of a judge, the blocking by operators and delisting of pornographic sites that do not prevent minors from accessing their content.

Until now, Arcom has had to content itself with sending formal notices to pornographic sites with little regard for the age of their visitors. Without feedback from them, the audiovisual gendarme can then seize the court of Paris to request the blocking of the sites. A very long procedure that has never been successful, the giants of the sector contesting the closure on the grounds that the law is not sufficiently precise on the modalities of age verification.

A digital certificate to control age

In addition, the bill provides that Arcom publishes clear guidelines on how the age of users must be controlled.

Finally, on the control method itself, no more simple clicking on the "I am of age" button. It will now be necessary to go through an anonymous digital certificate, provided by the telephone operator for example and which will attest to the exact age of the user.

Newsletter Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

Read on on the same topics:

  • France
  • Internet
  • Digital