French court orders blanket blocks of porn sites

PARIS — The Paris Court of Appeal today ordered the complete blocking of several pornographic websites, including Xhamster and Tukif, over their failure to roll out solid age verification systems.

The Court of Appeal ruled that children's general interest was "an overriding consideration which may justify infringement of other rights such as freedom of expression or communication."

"Giving priority to the protection of the private lives of adult consumers, by ruling out age verification, is incompatible with the protection of minors," the court said.

Justine Atlan, managing director of e-Enfance, one of the two associations that sided with the plaintiffs, called it "a landmark decision."

The sites have 15 days to implement effective age controls, Atlan said, and otherwise will see the blocks extended until their age control systems are up and running.

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