New Iraqi government moves to block porn sites
Iraq's Ministry of Communication has ordered that pornographic websites be blocked across Iraq.
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s new communications minister, Hiyam al-Yasiri, ordered pornographic websites blocked across the country on Nov. 4. According to local news outlets, as of Nov. 7, some 400 websites had been blocked.
There had been calls to block pornographic websites for many years, both in central government territory and the Kurdistan Region in the northern part of the country, which has its own parliament.
As online sexual harassment and abuse of women including what's known as "revenge porn" have grown, many Iraqis including both religious figures and others have urged that more measures be taken to prevent harm to individuals, Iraqi society as a whole and family integrity.
Lawmaker Dr. Jawad al-Musawi, a former hospital director in Baghdad, commented to Al-Monitor on Nov. 7 that the spread of internet access and social networking sites in Iraq since 2003 without regulations led to "many significant ethical problems in Iraq", including an increase in divorce rates.
