Germany: States Pass Porn Filters for Operating Systems
2 days ago
- #Porn Filters
- #Youth Protection
- #Media Regulation
- State parliaments passed an amendment to the Youth Media Protection Act, requiring operating system providers to install porn filters and age ratings for websites and apps.
- Parents can enable a child or youth mode on devices with one click to protect minors from inappropriate content like pornography, violence, and hate speech.
- Browsers like Chrome, Firefox, or Safari must have a secure search function or allow unsecured access only if individually enabled.
- Apps must have an approved youth protection program to be accessible regardless of the pre-set age group.
- The new operating system approach will be enforced by December 1, 2027, with a three-year transitional period for existing devices.
- The amendment aims to block mirror domains of erotic portals to prevent circumvention of blocking orders.
- Media authorities can prohibit financial service providers from processing payments for blocked content providers, even abroad.
- Tech companies and organizations criticize the filtering requirement as technically unfeasible and legally questionable.