News

McDonald's pledges porn-free Wi-Fi

July 14, 2016

Enough Is Enough, an Internet safety organization, has praised McDonald's for its decision to filter public Wi-Fi from pornography and child pornography.

EIE launched its "National Porn Free Wi-Fi" campaign in the fall of 2014, with nearly 50,000 petitions and 75 partner organizations encouraging McDonald's and other restaurants to lead corporate America in filtering Wi-Fi. McDonald's had been exploring options for Wi-Fi filtering and responded quickly, according to the release.

McDonald's began to implement its filtered Wi-Fi policy in its corporate-owned restaurants in the U.S. in early 2016, while also made it available to its franchisees.  According to the report, the company wasn't aware of any pornography related incidents in its stores.

"Parents can have peace of mind that, when they or their children go to McDonald's, they will have a safer and more friendly Wi-Fi experience, filtered from pornography, from child porn and from potential sexual exploitation and predation," EIE President Donna Rice Hughes said in the release.  "McDonald's deserves widespread praise for this act of corporate responsibility and commitment to children and family safety. … Other companies would be wise to follow McDonald's lead."

By filtering pornography and child porn from its Wi-Fi, McDonald's has joined Chick-fil-A and Panera Bread, which have made similar pledges.