YouPorn

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Artist: YouPorn

Year: 2008

Date of Action: May 2008

Region: Asia

Location: Singapore

Subject: Explicit Sexuality, Nudity, Sexual/Gender Orientation

Medium: Film Video, Internet

Confronting Bodies: Media Development Authority (MDA)

Description of Artwork: YouPorn is a porn-sharing website that works in a similar fashion to YouTube. The website allows users to add, view, and download various types of pornography.

The Incident: The Media Development Authority in Singapore banned access to YouPorn in a "symbolic statement" of the country's societal values. Singapore disallows the possession, distribution, and making of pornographic films as a necessary action to protect the young. "It should be noted that the hardcore pornographic videos posted on these sites are very easily accessible by the young as each video will start streaming for free once a user clicks on the related link," said Jason Hoong, an official from the Media Development Authority (MDA). YouPorn became the latest addition to a list of 100 "mass impact objectionable" pornographic websites banned in Singapore.

Results of Incident: Online responses to a local media report on the ban have been unfavorable, with users condemning it as unnecessarily moralistic. Some Singaporean users started surfing the internet by proxy, which would allow them to access the banned websites in spite of the ban.

Source:
• http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/05/23/us-singapore-internet-odd-idUSS2322899620080523