HIBAPRESS – Follow-up
Algerian MP Youcef Adjissa has proposed a new draft law that would block websites and electronic platforms with pornographic content within Algeria, calling for the establishment of a legislative framework to regulate the handling of this type of digital material.
Adjissa affirmed in a post on his Facebook page that technological development necessitates legal intervention to protect moral and social values.
He explained that the absence of a clear legal framework weakens the authorities' ability to control the digital space and preserve cultural identity, pointing out that the proposal aims to protect vulnerable groups, especially children and adolescents, from harmful materials, while preserving fundamental freedoms.
The MP indicated that a number of pornographic websites are used to facilitate crimes including child exploitation, human trafficking, and sexual extortion, stressing that limiting these platforms is part of the efforts to combat cross-border cybercrime.
The parliamentarian belonging to the Movement of Society for Peace (Hamas) also stressed that Algeria has the right to regulate its digital space in accordance with its religious and customary values.
The draft law includes 12 articles that define the definition of violating content and the bodies responsible for protecting information security, with the obligation of internet service providers to implement blocking decisions and periodically update their systems.
The draft law stipulates the imposition of prison sentences against those who use programs to bypass the block, in addition to the possibility of confiscating devices and imposing fines that may end with the withdrawal of the license.
The articles also emphasized the inclusion of all telecommunications companies, with the regulatory authority being tasked with monitoring implementation and taking the necessary measures against any violation, and the full text will be published in the official gazette after its adoption.
Adjissa based his project on a set of legal texts, including the constitution, Article 143, and the laws regulating parliament, communications, personal data, and hate speech.
Adjissa stressed that the proposal comes to protect the category of childhood and adolescence from the effects of pornographic content, highlighting its association with behavioral disorders and a decline in academic performance.
