Pornography: Twitter soon to be blocked in France?

Forcing the platform’s hand

For the government, the priority online seems to be the protection of minors. A bill, presented to the Council of Ministers on May 10, aims to more heavily sanction platforms broadcasting pornographic content without verifying the age of users. If this text is adopted, ARCOM will be able to go as far as blocking a site without going through the intervention of a judge.

Twitter has no limits

Traditional porn sites are of course the first targets of this law. However, Twitter also finds itself in the sights of ARCOM and the government. While most social networks have a very strict content policy, Twitter does not filter the posts of its members or verify their age.

🗣 “If we find porn images on Twitter to which minors may be exposed, then he will be exposed to a blocking and delisting measure by Arcom”, if the bill carried by @jnbarrot is adopted.

📺 #franceinfo channel 27 #VIPol pic.twitter.com/lpPPPYVyAi

— franceinfo (@franceinfo) May 9, 2023

A process that in no way protects the user, especially a minor, from coming across violent or pornographic content. This situation has been denounced by several associations for years, like COFRADE. So, will ARCOM get the better of the blue bird this time?

Age control: obligation without solution

This is where the shoe pinches: yes, platforms broadcasting pornographic images must, since a law of 2020, guarantee control of the age of their users. However, none of the current solutions has been able to be both efficient and respectful of the protection of private data. So, for the moment, blocking threats are simple announcement effects, for lack of applicable control method.

Note however, the government conducts age verification tests through trusted third parties through an anonymized process.

For the time being, little information has leaked on its operation, apart from the fact that ARCOM and CNIL have validated the principle of application. Case to follow.