South Carolina Bill Seeks to Put Mandatory Porn Filter on All PCs

Just before the Christmas break, Republican South Carolina State representative Bill Chumley has pre-filed a bill that would install a porn filter on all internet capable devices in the state. The mandatory porn filter is just part of his larger “Human Trafficking Prevention Act” and further elaborates that a $20 opt-out fee could be tacked on as a sort of pornography tax. Users 18 and older, after showing an ID and verifying age would then be eligible to pay for the fee before picking up their computer, mobile device or any gadget that connects to the internet. Chumley claims that the revenue collected from the act will go directly to the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office’s Human Trafficking task force to coordinate with law enforcement agencies and anti-trafficking non-profit groups to tackle the larger issue of human trafficking. The bill is also further reaching than just mandatory porn blocking on the device. It prohibits access to any online hubs that might facilitate prostitution such as torrent websites and other file sharing services.

While the main idea behind the bill is understandable considering South Carolina’s increasing rate of human sex trafficking cases. According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, South Carolina has had 1,330 calls to their number and has a reported total of 308 actual human trafficking cases since 2007.  Despite the well-meaning bill, critics argue that representative Chumley is going about it the wrong way and that total filtering is unimplementable and unconstitutional. The representative’s proposal also reeks of a gross misunderstanding of technology since all users need to do is order their PC or device online from another state and it will not have the filter when it arrives.

“If we could have manufacturers install filters that would be shipped to South Carolina, then anything that children have access on for pornography would be blocked. We felt like that would be another way to fight human trafficking.” Chumley said. He further says that this is simply the beginning point to tackling the larger issue of trafficking, and that pornography is at the root. “It’s where almost everybody has access to a computer now. It’s porn on demand. We have to start somewhere. … We’re bringing attention to it. We’re not being political. It’s an issue I’m pretty passionate about.” Chumley states.