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McDonald's blocks porn on free Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi filters being added
Posted at 4:48 PM, Jul 15, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-15 19:14:30-04

Although they’ve given Wi-Fi access to customers since 2009, McDonald’s is finally adding a safety net to block explicit material.

The company recently took a step forward to become more family friendly by initiating Wi-Fi filtering. Enough Is Enough, an Internet safety advocacy group, had been reportedly pressuring McDonald’s for years to make the policy change.

41 Action News was denied access to a local McDonald’s restaurant or owner, but was provided with this statement:

McDonald’s is committed to providing a safe environment for our customers, and we are pleased to share that Wi-Fi filtering has been activated in the majority of McDonald’s nearly 14,000 restaurants nationwide. We had not heard from our customers that this was an issue, but we saw an opportunity that is consistent with our goal of providing an enjoyable experience for families. . – Terri Hickey, spokesperson

Many businesses in Kansas City who offer public Wi-Fi have also been protecting themselves and their customers with filters for years.

"I think it's important for us to maintain the family friendly environment,” said Ben Matson, IT manager at the Kansas City Zoo.

"I mean it can be difficult. There's a lot of people that do things that are beyond your control. But you can take some basic steps using industry-standard equipment that's designed and services to help you with that,” he said.

The Roasterie has also taken measures to block anything inappropriate.

"We have a program called Barracuda,” said Brandi Whisler, a manager at the coffee roasting company.

"We don’t wanna infringe on anyone's privacy, but it is a way to make sure everyone's comfortable in our space,” she said.

Subway, Chick-fil-A and Panera Bread are other large chains that have filters built into their Wi-Fi. However, Starbucks has not, but recently told CNN Money they plan to add filters at their stores around the world.

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Josh Helmuth can be reached at josh.helmuth@kshb.com

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