#SavePornhub: Thailand bans porn and gambling sites, causing outrage, protests
- Thailand’s digital minister Puttipong Punnakanta said 190 sites were blocked under the cybercrime law, prompting accusations of censorship
- Thai users spent more time on Pornhub than any other country last year, and VPN searches rose over 600 per cent after the ban
Digital minister Puttipong Punnakanta said the block was part of efforts to restrict access to porn and gambling websites, which were illegal under the country’s cybercrime law.
But many Thai users trended the #SavePornhub hashtag on Twitter and criticised the decision. Thailand, which has a globally-known sex industry, was among the Top 20 countries by daily traffic for Pornhub in 2019.
According to Pornhub, users in Thailand spent more time on the site – 11 minutes and 21 seconds – last year than those elsewhere in the world.
An activist group called Anonymous Party said: “We want to reclaim Pornhub. People are entitled to choices.”
A few dozen activists protested the block outside the digital ministry, holding banners saying “free Pornhub” and “reclaim Pornhub”.
