Russia Bans Porn Sites

Christine Rousselle | September 17, 2016 11:36 AM

Russia's media watchdog Roskomnadzor has banned the pornography sites Pornhub and YouPorn in an expansion of a 2015 ban on several other pornography sites. Russia cited concern for children's health and suggested that people "meet each other in real life" in lieu of using porn.

From the BBC:

Russia's media watchdog, Roskomnadzor, has blocked access to two of the world's largest pornography websites.
Internet service providers had until Tuesday to implement the ban.
The sites now redirect to a message explaining they have been blocked "by decision of public authorities".
In 2015, the authorities banned 11 popular pornography websites, saying many failed to protect children "from information harmful to their health".

Russia has the highest abortion rate in the world, and at the turn of the 21st century more Russian children were being aborted than than born. This has led to serious concerns about population decline, and a need to encourage people to have children.

In response to the ban, Pornhub offered Roskomnadzor a premium subscription and also made an account on the Russian social networking site Vkontakte.