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Starbucks Does Not Respond to Porn Web Blocking Request

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: July 14, 2016 1:50 pm

Last Updated: January 13, 2020 5:42 am

According to Enough Is Enough (EIE), an internet safety group, McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) has set up systems to keep Wi-Fi systems in its stores from accessing pornography. The EIE also points out that Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX) has not.

The group announced as part of the McDonald’ initiative:

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 Starbucks to lead Corporate America in filtering Wi-Fi. Both companies were early adopters in the U.K., where they voluntarily filtered pornography on their public WiFi networks. McDonald’s responded rapidly and positively to the initial outreach to their CEO by EIE in spring 2014, and began exploring options for WiFi filtering. To date, Starbucks has yet to respond.

The “Starbucks Digital Network” of free Wi-Fi works this way:

1)      Make sure you’re connected to Google Starbucks or attwifi and have access to the web.

2)      Some users will be directed to Starbucks Digital Network upon clicking connect on the Wi-Fi authentication page.

3)      If you are not directed to Starbucks Digital Network, open your browser and type in digital.starbucks.com.

4)      You are now on the Starbucks Digital Network. Browse around and enjoy.

Starbucks has a long list of its community services at its website’s “Responsibility” section. These include “Opportunities for Youth,” “Diversity and Inclusion” and “Community Stores.” Nothing about its pornography philosophy or policy is mentioned.

Absent any information from Starbucks to the contrary, presumably people in Starbucks stores have access to pornography online.