Israeli Bill Will Require ISPs to Block Pornographic Sites

IBLS Contributor: Odia Kagan, Tel Aviv, Israel, odia@okaganlaw.com, writes:

The Israeli Minister of Communication, Mr. Ariel Atias, of the ultra-religious party “Shas” is promoting a new bill to force Israeli Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block pornographic websites using special filters. The sites would be un-blocked only pursuant to the specific request of a customer. The bill is intended to prevent minors from accessing websites with adult content (pornography and gambling) without imposing excessive controls, resulting in public outrage.

This requirement from the ISPs follows a similar prohibition, effective on May 25, 2007, imposed on the Israeli cellular telephone companies. By amending their licenses for the provision of telecommunication services over mobile telephone, the Ministry of Communications required the companies to block free access to pornographic services offered in their cellular portals. Access would only be permitted after the customer has proven that he or she is 18 or older, by sending a fax or an email with a picture and a scanned copy of the National Identity Card. 

Before the amendment, the age could be established by the input of the Identity Card number and the date of birth. As this information is generally known to children, it was decided that this data does not provide adequate protection. The prohibition applies only to the cellular portal, a content service provided by the cellular companies. It does not apply or ban access to websites, which may be surfed using the mobile telephone.

Originally published on Ms. Kagan's blog e-legal on May 8, 2007 at www.odiakagan.typepad.com

Ms. Kagan specializes in Internet and IT law. Her articles on these subjects are published regularly in professional publications of the American Bar Association and the New York State Bar Association as well as in national Israeli websites. Ms. Kagan authored the Israeli Chapter in the book “Cybercrime and Security” published worldwide by Oceana Publications, a division of Oxford University Press. A graduate of the Law Faculty of Tel Aviv University, Ms. Kagan is a member of the Israel and New York Bars, is qualified as a Solicitor in England & Wales and is also admitted as legal practitioner in New South Wales, Australia.

The statement above is the author’s opinion and does not constitute or replace legal consultation.