Mon 10 Jan 2011 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
McDonalds should be making websites containing information important for glbt people available through its new nationwide restaurant WiFi service instead of blocking them, according to the NZ AIDS Foundation. The health promotion heavyweight has joined a growing chorus of glbt people and organisations calling for McDonalds to review its policy and to provide a more carefully considered and consistent approach to what web content it deems inappropriate for accessing through its free facility. McDonalds says it blocks sites it deems unsuitable in its "family-friendly" outlets. The NZAF yesterday sent staff out to thoroughly test McDonalds WiFi acess and found that while the system did enable users to access its own websites such as getiton.co.nz, broonline.co.nz and curious.org.nz website, sites such as rainbowyouth.org.nz, staysafe.co.nz, familyplanning.org.nz, theword.org.nz and PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) sites are all blocked. "These sites contain essential information about support services, safe sex and sexual health," the Foundation says. "With a vast network of restaurants across New Zealand and affordable food, free wi-fi at McDonalds is likely to be utilised by New Zealanders who are needing support, help and information about sexuality and good sexual health." The NZAF notes that its broonline.co.nz site does have adult content and users do need to agree that they are over 18 years old to view it. "While we are pleased that broonline is accessible... McDonalds’ terms and conditions of use are clear and it is unlikely that the NZAF would consider it unreasonable if content of this nature were blocked." Initially, the NZAF staff who tested the wi-fi thought that the problem with access might be in the word ‘gay’ as GayNZ.com and other sites with "gay" in their name and URL were all blocked. However, they were able to view gayexpress.co.nz so that does not appear to be the case. And some sites with gay content were accessible, "so it appears that queer content is not the issue even though afterellen.com was blocked." Like others concerned about McDonalds' service the Foundation is puzzled that NZdating.com and pinksofa.com, both dating websites, were blocked. "As broonline.co.nz is primarily a safe-sex dating and community site, an across-the-board ban on dating sites does not appear to be in force." However, the NZAF says the blocking of porn appeared to be consistent. "xtube.com, redtube.com and yuvutu.com, all of which have straight, gay and lesbian adult content were blocked." Additionally the Foundation's survey found that the websites of other community-based organisations such as the Mental Health Foundation and the Herpes Foundation were all accessible. Whilst noting that free wi-fi at McDonalds is a new initiative "and some teething problems are to be expected" the NZAF has made it clear it expects McDonalds to do better. "We anticipate that McDonalds will respond quickly and fairly to make the websites [which] provide essential services accessible through McDonalds' wi-fi." The Foundation is offering support and advocacy assistance to the affected organisations. GayNZ.com yesterday afternoon published an open letter to McDonalds calling for a more sophisticated approach and greater consistency in the way it chooses whether to enable or deny access to glbt sites through its WiFi network.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 10th January 2011 - 10:20pm