Policy | Family Talk

New Filtering App Combats Pornography

Written by Dr. James Dobson | July 14, 2021

Pornography isn't just infiltrating our communities, it's invading our homes. And the group Fight the New Drug says nine-out-of-ten kids ages 8-16 have viewed porn online.

But there's a new filtering app that is using "groundbreaking technology" to fight back. Sean Clifford is the CEO of Canopy, a Texas-based tech company that uses artificial intelligence to detect and block pornography with 99.7% accuracy.

Clifford says better tools were needed to fight the growing influence of smut. "Pornography is so much more graphic, addicti[ve] and darker today than it ever has been," said Clifford. "This is an issue that impacts everyone. We have to start [by] offering a tool to people who want to quit so they can step away from pornography and have the space to heal their hearts and minds. With this service, we're hoping to provide a space for them to do the other work that is so necessary."

Canopy works on smartphones, tablets and computers, not only blocking pornography but also protecting children from sexting, an ever-increasing epidemic.

Not surprisingly, Clifford added that parents express "relief" when they learn about Canopy. According to the website FightTheNewDrug.org, an estimated 90% of children ages 8-16 have viewed porn online. Unfortunately, adults aren't faring much better. A 2018 study found that 98% of men surveyed, and 73% of women, had viewed Internet porn in the previous six months.

It's time parents wake up to this evil. Pornography is not "adult entertainment." It's voyeurism, it's degrading to women, and it is doing immense harm to men and women, to marriages, to ministries, to children, and to our society.

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