PARIS — French activist groups claiming to represent “the children” will formally request today that online government regulator Arcom suspend Twitter in France unless the platform finds, within two weeks, a way to block minors from what the groups consider “pornographic” content.
The groups announced this latest proposed measure in the “War on Porn” to the media earlier today, claiming that Twitter allows minors to access not only “pornography,” but also CSAM and bestiality content.
The coalition calling for censorship of the international platform is a patchwork of obscure organizations pursuing a self-appointed mission of “child protection” and sex work abolitionism. Among them are Parenthood and Digital Education Watch, founded by anti-porn activist and business school graduate Thomas Rohmer; noted anti-sex-work abolitionist lobby Fondation Scelles; ACPE; the National Union of Family Associations; a group calling itself Chameleon and another going by the name Respect Zone.
As XBIZ reported, government regulator Arcom is currently weighing demands to block the five major adult platforms in France. Those demands were issued by groups including powerful SWERF lobbies and the notoriously extremist Catholic organization Civitas, in the wake of a controversial age verification law passed in 2020 as a surreptitious last-minute amendment to a domestic violence bill.
Suspicions of Sex Worker Rights Advocates Confirmed
Today’s announcement confirms the suspicions of free speech, digital rights and sex work advocates, who have been warning that the ultimate goal of the current drive by War on Porn activists worldwide is to bar sexual expression on open platforms like Twitter and Reddit.
The French associations appealing to Arcom today, according to French news site France Info, cited the law prohibiting dissemination of pornographic images if they are likely to be seen by minors, which they believe is the case with Twitter since it is possible to lie about one’s age to create an account on the social network.
The self-appointed “children’s rights” groups sent a registered letter to the general manager of Twitter France on July 12, France Info reported. After receiving a reply on Aug. 2, noting their request had been forwarded to Twitter’s international management, the groups decided to pressure the network via Arcom.
Rohmer told France Info that the groups are asking for Twitter to be suspended temporarily, until it complies with French law, but that they hope things do not go that far and that Twitter agrees to open a dialogue.
Rohmer then posted on his Twitter account a clip-art image of a chick hatching from an egg, with the words, "We want #SaferTwitter for Kids."
A hearing on the proposed suspension will take place on Sept. 6.