McDonald’s And Starbucks In The USA To Block Pornography On Their Free WiFi

Watching pornography using the free WiFi at Starbucks and McDonald’s outlets across the US will no longer be an option thanks to the new filters the fast food giants have and will install. These steps were taken to keep up the chains’ ‘family friendly’ image as a response to a campaign by Enough is Enough.

The Enough is Enough Campaign

Enough is Enough is a non-profit organisation founded in 1994 that fights for Internet safety and friendliness for children and families. 

In 2014, Enough is Enough launched a petition asking that McDonald’s and Starbucks install filters in their WiFi to prevent users from watching pornography in public.

As a response, McDonald’s first blocked pornographic websites in its corporate stores across the US. They then offered to install these blocks to franchisees, most of whom accepted making almost all of the 14,000 McDonald’s across the United States pornography free.

“I’m lovin’ it!” said Donna Rice Hughes the president of Enough is Enough. She continued; “parents can have peace of mind that, when they or their children go to McDonald’s, they will have a safer and more friendly Wi-Fi experience, filtered from pornography” and “from potential sexual exploitation and predation.”

Starbucks has also announced that it is considering installing WiFi filters – in a statement it said “We are in the process of evaluating a global protocol to address this in all of our company owned stores, and are in active discussions with organizations on implementing the right, broad-based solution that would remove any illegal and other egregious content. Once we determine that our customers can access our free Wi-Fi in a way that also doesn’t involuntarily block unintended content, we will implement this in our stores.”

With these changes, Starbucks and McDonald’s join the ranks of smaller fast food chains Panera Bread and Chick-A-Fil who have already blocked pornography on the WiFi in their outlets.