An administrative court in Egypt ordered the prime minster to take the necessary and immediate action to censor pornographic websites on Wednesday. While the court specifically calls for immediate action, the order can still be appealed at the Supreme Administrative Court.
According to Ahram Online, lawyer Nezar Gharab’s argument in the case was that the websites spread “immorality” among youth and children, adding that Egypt’s lack of censorship on these websites already had a negative impact.
This is not the first time the court has tried to ban pornographic websites in Egypt; an initial verdict in the same case also ordered the sites to be blocked back in 2009 but that ruling was never applied.
However, this latest court order comes in contradiction with yet another decision by the same administrative court just two years ago. As in 2013 but in a different case, the court had ruled against the ban.
Ahram Online reported in 2013 that according to telecom and IT experts, censoring these websites would cost Egypt up to LE100 million ($16.5 million) and might also strain the country's Internet services.
According to Egyptian Streets, some are speculating that the court order might be a result of the controversy surrounding the pornographic video that was illegally shot in the Giza Pyramids last March and led to national outcry.
As of now, due to the contradiction between the two court orders, it is unclear which one will be implemented.