Bangladesh authorities have blocked more than 500 pornographic websites on Thursday as a part of the nation's major morality drive.
The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) said it has ordered the local internet service providers to stop the sites from streaming amid fears over the impact of children.
"We're blocking the porn sites in a bid to protect our children and youths from the harmful impact of pornography," Sarwar Alam, BTRC spokesman, told AFP.
"This is part of a major effort to promote our culture and moral values," he added.
Alam also said that the regulator would gradually broaden the list of blacklisted websites. "We've set up a committee which has drawn up a list of 560 (porn) sites. The committee has told local ISPs to block them," he said.
According to reports, more than one third of 160 million population of Bangladesh, including millions of underaged teenagers, have access to internet. They browse different types of websites using their smart phones, laptops and tablets.
Tarana Halim, Junior telecoms minister posted on her Facebook page that blocking all access to porn in Bangladesh at one go would "be a challenge". But she further added that any crackdown could only be beneficial for the country.
