Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

French start blocking terror websites, but first try fails

PARIS — France’s Interior Ministry says it has begun its crackdown on Internet sites glorifying terrorism by shutting down five sites — but four of the five were still functioning a day after they were said to be inoperative.

French soldiers patrol near the Louvre Museum in Paris. Photo: AP

French soldiers patrol near the Louvre Museum in Paris. Photo: AP

Follow TODAY on WhatsApp

PARIS — France’s Interior Ministry says it has begun its crackdown on Internet sites glorifying terrorism by shutting down five sites — but four of the five were still functioning a day after they were said to be inoperative.

Ministry officials conceded today (March 17) that the first try at scrubbing away hundreds of sites that defend terrorism via videos or statements is still in its infancy and may not work perfectly. When it does, a red hand is to appear on the screen instead of the site, with a message saying the user has been redirected because the contents can provoke or glorify terrorism.

Screengrab from a site where visitors are redirected to a warning

As of early yestertday, no red hand appeared on any of the five sites.

Cleaning up the Internet is part of a new terrorism law. AP

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.