560 Porn Websites Blocked in Bangladesh to Promote ‘Moral Values’

Bangladesh authorities have blocked more than 500 pornographic websites. (Photo: iStock)

Bangladesh authorities have blocked more than 500 pornographic websites as a part of a major morality drive, officials said on Thursday.

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) said it had ordered local internet service providers to stop the sites from streaming amid fears over its impact on children.

We’re blocking the porn sites in a bid to protect our children and youth from the harmful impact of pornography.

Sarwar Alam, BTRC Spokesman

Adding that the regulator would gradually broaden the blacklist, Alam said:

This is a part of a major effort to promote our cultural and moral values. We’ve set up a committee which has drawn up a list of 560 (porn) sites. The committee has told local ISPs to block them.

More than a third of Bangladesh's 160 million people have access to internet including millions of underaged teenagers who browse with smart phones, laptops and tablets.

Junior telecom minister Tarana Halim wrote on her Facebook page that blocking all access to porn in Bangladesh would "be a challenge" but added that any crackdown would only benefit everyone.