Archbishop protests Telus cellphone porn

By Jim Coggins

RAYMOND ROUSSIN, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Vancouver, has expressed "great concern" about Telus Mobility's decision to offer cellphone pornography.

Canada's second largest phone company started offering pornographic photos and videos to its customers in January. Telus charges $3 to download a photo and $4 to download a one-to two-minute video, directly from Telus.

Telus is the first major wireless carrier in North America to openly offer pay-per-download adult content, although this has apparently been available in Europe and Asia for some years. Telus' main Canadian competition, Rogers Wireless and Bell Canada, don't sell adult content on cellphones but have not commented on whether they have plans to provide the service.

'Crossed the line'

Telus, said Roussin, "has crossed the line which brings the problem of the accessibility of pornographic material further into the public realm . . . Given the increasing awareness about the problem of sexual addiction to pornography through Internet access, and the abuse that this perpetuates of vulnerable persons, Telus' decision is disappointing and disturbing."

Paul Schratz, media representative in the Archbishop's office, told CC.com that since Roussin made his public statement, his office had been inundated with media requests for interviews, from as far away as New York. The office has also received phone calls from people who are cancelling their Telus service.

The Archbishop is currently consulting with Roman Catholic churches and schools in his diocese to determine how many are using Telus and whether they should terminate their contracts. Roussin was not available for further comment.

The issue has been widely debated in the media, particularly in the Globe & Mail. Some letter writers said Telus' action was immoral, and some suggested it should not be allowed. However, one letter writer suggested that "pornography is legal" and therefore the "morality police" should not interfere with freedom of expression. Another stated: "If you don't like to watch porn, don't watch it."

The debate reflects the divisions in Canadian society. A 2006 Leger Marketing poll found that 58 percent of Canadians (68 percent of women and 46 percent of men) think pornography immoral.

There was considerable debate in the letters over whether children might inadvertently see porn on someone else's cellphone on a bus; but others countered that the small screen and the 'glare factor' make it unlikely that pornography addicts will want to watch it or that others will be able to accidentally see it.

An untapped market

Jim Johannsson, Alberta-based director of media relations for Telus, admitted that Telus is taking advantage of "an untapped market."

In 2006, the British-based Juniper Research estimated that the worldwide market for adult content on mobile devices will increase to $3.3 billion a year by 2011, representing about 70 percent of cellphone companies' revenue.

However, Johannsson disputed those figures, saying there is "not a huge business case" for the new service. He said the entire adult entertainment industry in the US (including strip clubs and magazines) is only $14 billion a year. In Canada, the largest source of "adult content" is adult cable TV channels and pay-per-view cable programs, at $100 million a year. Johannsson expects Telus' revenue to be "not even close to that".

'Safe alternative'

Johannsson said "adult content is out there," and that Telus is providing "a legal safe alternative" to pornography already available on cellphones via the Internet.

He noted, "Any cellphones equipped with Internet browsers have been able to access [pornographic] content unrestricted for two years." He said that while "parental control" software is available for home computers, "no parental controls for cellphone Internet browsers are available yet" because the technology is much newer. He added that when such software is available, Telus will offer it to subscribers.

Telus' decision to offer pornography was partly based on its tracking of the Internet sites accessed by its subscribers. That tracking discovered that about 20 percent of the search terms entered by clients on their mobile Internet browsers were intended to find adult content. Further, 13 of the top 25 websites accessed were pornographic websites of the most explicit kind; and only two of those sites offered any kind of "control" -- asking subscribers to affirm that they were over 18.

In contrast, Johannsson argued, "We're giving consumers the option to access [pornography] in a responsible way, with proper age verification and ensuring that the content is actually legal for download in Canada."

He further explained that Canadian law has established the Internet as a bastion of free speech. It is illegal for Telus or any other Internet service provider to block access to any web content. The only exception is if the content is declared illegal. Only recently was Canadian law changed to make it easier for judges to declare child pornography illegal and thus allow internet service providers to block access to such sites.

Johannsson said that Telus' move is just part of "a global phenomenon" in which "all media is migrating . . . to the technology clipped to your belt. We can't stop it, but we can provide information and tools to manage the risks."

Minor protection

The way the system works is that Telus has added an option to its cellphone menus. In addition to downloading ringtones and 'wallpaper' images, its subscribers can download material from a section labelled "Adults only". The first time this section is accessed from a particular phone, the user is required to go through an "age verification process". That is, a "third party" agency other than Telus verifies that the user has a valid primary credit card.

Since minors can't get primary credit cards -- but only subordinate credit cards linked to an adult's card -- minors by definition can't access this material. However, Johannsson admitted that this verification process does not prevent minors from borrowing or stealing a credit card and gaining access.

On that first visit, the user is invited to set up a password so that others, including minor children, can't access that material. However, Johannsson admitted that if a minor was the first user, he could set the password and continue to access the material -- while his parents could not.

Johannsson explained that Telus has no way of offering the 'adult' material only to adult subscribers because it doesn't know which of its customers are under age. Since minors can't sign contracts, their phones are in the name of a parent or guardian.

Johannsson said the controversy has alerted some parents to the realities of Internet pornography. This has allowed them to password-protect the "Adults only" option on their children's cellphones. Many parents were also not aware that their children could access pornography through their cellphones' Internet browsers. Parents concerned about this can call Telus' client care department and have the entire Internet browser on their children's cellphones blocked.

'Verified legal'

About a year ago, the Canadian Wireless Standards Association, which is composed of representatives of the major players in the industry, defined three categories of sexual content. Tier one portrays full or partial nudity. Tier two includes simulated sex acts and close-ups of genitals. Tier three includes actual sex acts. Johannsson said Telus is offering only Tier one content, whereas the 13 top websites accessed by cellphone subscribers mentioned earlier contain tier three material.

Telus gets its content from "a number of established adult content providers". Johannsson said Telus is "counting on these distributors to make sure that the content is legal" -- that is, that no children are used -- and that the material is "compliant with film board standards" set by the film board in each province. However, he admitted that the film boards do not screen adult content except on a random basis -- and said it is up to the distributors themselves to determine if their materials meet the standards.

'Socially responsible'

The "social responsibility" section on Telus' website states: "We are dedicated to becoming Canada's premier corporate citizen . . . We are committed to making a positive difference to the social, economic and environmental well-being of the communities where we live, work and serve . . . With a focus on young Canadians, we look for opportunities to use our technology and expertise in ways that positively influence our communities."

When asked how selling pornography relates to this commitment, Johannsson said that it "in no way diminishes our commitment to the communities we serve." He said Telus will continue to make cash contributions to various charities though boards it has established in various communities. Telus' contributions have amounted to $62 million over the past year.

He said Telus employees also contributed 390,000 hours of volunteer service to 40,000 charities in the past year.

By February 13, Telus had received complaints about the pornography service from more than 150 people threatening to take their business elsewhere.

A letter writer to the Globe & Mail suggested some Telus customers may be bothered "by nagging questions of morality . . . but that will soon pass. In less than a month's time, this will have faded into black -- and Telus will be growing another revenue stream . . . One would assume that they've completed a risk assessment and believe this will blow over fairly quickly with little residual damage."

The letter writer was referring to damage to Telus' bottom line rather than damage to Canadian society.

Detective Wendy Leaver of the Toronto police sex crimes unit observed, "They'll probably make a fortune, but it's morally irresponsible."

Related stories:

Pity the accidental voyeur of cellphone pornography
Telus is pandering for pornographers. That's right. The company that claims "the future is friendly" is offering pay-per-download porn to cellphone customers. It started last month with no fanfare and Telus doesn't plan to advertise that customers can download photos and videos of adults engaging in sexual acts.
Daphne Bramham, Vancouver Sun, February 2

Porn on Telus cellphones concerns Catholic archbishop
The Roman Catholic archbishop of Vancouver is considering cancelling contracts with Telus after the phone company began making pornography available through its cellphones. Canada's second largest phone company now offers pornographic photos and videos to its customers and confirms it has been receiving complaints from upset customers. Telus introduced the service in January. In doing so, it became the first wireless provider in the country to offer pornographic photos and videos at $3-4 each.
Canadian Press, February 10

Cleric mulls cancelling phone contracts
Company's sale of adult content through cellphones crosses a line for Catholic archbishop
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Is Telus willing to accept the scorn with its porn?
The Roman Catholic archbishop of Vancouver's public scolding of Telus Corp. has experts predicting that the phone company's decision to offer pornographic photos and videos to customers could mean sacrificing its image in favour of the bottom line.
Globe and Mail, February 13

February 15/2007