Baghdad shuts advertising screens after porn screening
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An advertisement screen that had been turned off at Uqba bin Nafia Square in Baghdad on Aug 20, 2023.
PHOTO: AFP
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Baghdad – The Iraqi authorities on Sunday ordered the shutdown of LED advertisement screens installed across Baghdad after a hacker managed to show a pornographic film on one, security forces said, announcing the arrest of a suspect.
On Saturday evening, “a person managed to hack into an advertising screen at Uqba bin Nafia Square”, a major intersection in the centre of the Iraqi capital, a security source who requested anonymity told AFP.
The hacker “showed a pornographic film for several minutes before we cut the power cable”, he said.
Videos of the pornographic film being screened as cars passed by in central Baghdad were widely shared on social media.
These “immoral scenes” prompted the authorities to “turn off all advertising screens in Baghdad” while they review security measures, said the security official.
The Interior Ministry also announced in a statement that a suspect had been arrested, without giving details.
Several screens that usually show advertisements for household goods or political candidates before elections were switched off on Sunday morning, according to an AFP photographer.
Largely-conservative Iraq announced in 2022 that it was planning to block pornographic websites, but many have been left accessible.
The Iraqi government, which is dominated by pro-Iranian parties, has targeted several YouTubers and TikTokers since last year,
Some of them have been imprisoned, including a young woman who posted dance videos set to pop music. AFP
