In her statement, Al-Yasiri also highlighted that Iraq has exited the list of top countries in terms of visits and views of pornographic websites.

According to the Iraqi News Agency, the minister, during a press conference held in Baghdad, stated, "The number of visits to pornographic websites in January of last year exceeded half a billion views." She further noted that in February of this year, the number of visits to these sites decreased to 89 million.

Al-Yasiri added that Iraq's exit from the list of top countries visiting and viewing pornographic sites comes alongside her request to the Cabinet to block the TikTok app. She emphasized the necessity for cooperation among the representatives of the people in the Parliament to block such applications.

Previous Requests to Block Pornographic Websites

On March 14, the Federal Supreme Court issued a decision regarding the blocking of websites, social networking platforms, and electronic communication applications that involve "the production and dissemination of morally and ethically offensive content, content that undermines decency and encroaches on divinity, the sanctity of holy books, prophets, religious symbols, and insults to religions and sects, as well as the promotion and dissemination of debauchery, prostitution, sexual deviance, and injury to others."

Minister Hiyam Al-Yasiri had instructed the blocking of pornographic sites in the country in November 2022 upon assuming her position. This was not the first instance of addressing the issue of blocking pornographic sites in Iraq; in 2015, the Parliament issued a decision obliging "the government to issue binding instructions to governmental and non-governmental bodies to regulate internet networks and require them to block pornographic sites, in the public interest."

"Scandals" Shake Iraq's Security and Higher Education Sectors

Last week, Iraqi circles were preoccupied with two incidents that sparked widespread controversy and shook the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Higher Education in the country.

The first scandal involved several officers from the Ministry of Interior, including high-ranking military officers, creating "fake pages" on social media sites to extort money from their colleagues. Simultaneously, pictures of the Dean of the Computer College at the University of Basra in an "intimate position" with one of the female students inside his office spread widely.

These incidents prompted thousands of bloggers to react vehemently on various social media platforms, demanding severe punishments for those involved.

Brigadier General Yahya Rasool, the spokesperson for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Mohammad Al-Sudani, stated that the latter directed the formation of an investigative committee chaired by the Minister of Interior and including the head of the National Security Service and the military inspector of the Ministry of Defense.