Notre Dame Implements Optional Pornography Filter

The University of Notre Dame introduced an optional online filter on campus Wi-Fi for pornography and explicit content on Tuesday, April 14. In an email to students, Father Peter McCormick, C.S.C., Assistant Vice President for Campus Ministry, highlighted the importance of honoring the dignity of the human person, recognizing the “devastating reality” of the pornography industry’s connections to trafficking and exploitation. 

In the letter, Fr. McCormick addressed the significant and growing prevalence of pornography on campus. He urged students to honor the dignity of others and to live chastely through personal discipline before giving a message of hope for students, offering the support of Campus Ministry—especially the option of a Wi-Fi pornography filter for students. 

Students have led several unsuccessful campaigns for an explicit content filter in recent years. In 2018, Students for Child-Oriented Policy (SCOP) petitioned for a mandatory Wi-Fi filter, receiving over 2,400 signatures, more than 1,000 of which were from students. Though he declined this solution, then-president Father John Jenkins, C.S.C. explained that he would work towards implementing an “opt-in” system instead, allowing students to voluntarily sign up to have their campus Wi-Fi filtered.