Should Porn Be Allowed on Airplanes?

First it was free check-in baggage.  Then it was $3 for snacks.  Then they started offering in-flight Internet service.  NOW, American Airlines wants to filter that service to block access to porn and other “inappropriate” websites.

Apparently, both flight attendants and passengers alike have had “a lot of complaints” about such content from passengers.  As of right now, only some cross-country flights offer Internet access that passengers can pay $12.95 for.  The “vast majority” of passengers do use discretion.

“It’s a tricky door to open,” said Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy and Information Center in Washington. “Where do you draw the line once you start policing the information your customers can access?”

In addition to American Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest, and Delta all either already offer or plan on offering limited Internet access to travelers by early 2009.  JetBlue, which currently offers Internet, has also reported complains from attendants and passengers about “objectionable Web pages.”  Union reps say that they don’t want to become “moral policemen,” but they also don’t want attendants exposed to violent or pornographic images on laptops, either.

It IS tricky – people paying for a service should have the basis right to look at what they want, but what about violent or sexual DVDs watched on laptops?  And what about young children sitting near these people who may see graphic images?  Come on, porn lovers, you can’t just control yourselves long enough to get a room?!

What do you think?

[Source]