From Wired:
Carriers Say No to Airporn
People get bored on long flights, which is why we love in-flight Internet access. It lets people check email, read Wired.com, watch the stock market collapse and enjoy their favorite scenes from On Golden Blonde and Forest Hump.
Airlines, worried the wi-fi services they're rolling out will turn planes into flying porn theaters, are installing filters to prevent passengers from surfing smut. The decision is hailed by flight attendants -- who've so far been responsible for preventing porn peeping -- and by activists concerned that children and other passengers might be subjected to objectionable material. They also worry unfettered onboard Internet access poses a security and safety risk.
American Airlines says it will "implement technology to filter pornographic content over it's Gogo in-flight Internet service." It's an about-face for the airline, which had said it would leave the nannying to flight attendants. The course correction was prompted in part by the vocal concerns of flight attendants who didn't want to be morality cops after the airline started offering in-flight wi-fi last month.
"Flight attendants are on board to provide security and safety for passengers, not to monitor their Internet usage," Corey Caldwell of the Association of Flight Attendants told Wired.com. "We're glad the airlines have responded to our concerns and to those of passengers."
But at least one privacy rights advocate opposes the idea and says blocking porn is the first step down a slippery slope.
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