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Communications The Almighty Buck

Canadian Phone Company Selling Porn 342

Posted by kdawson from the couldn't-make-it-up dept.
westcoaster004 writes "Telus, Canada's second-largest telecommunications carrier has started selling pornography to its cellular subscribers. The service allows subscribers with mobile browsers to purchase both photographic and video adult-oriented content from Telus, at an average of CD$4 per download. Telus decided to introduce the service after noticing that there existed a certain 'segment of the population that is interested in that content' from review of the mobile Web browsing habits of their subscribers 'on an aggregate level.' They are the first telecommunications company in Canada to offer such content. A Telus spokesman said: 'We're fairly certain that if our competitors in Canada haven't launched it, they will soon. Same in the US.'"
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Canadian Phone Company Selling Porn More

Canadian Phone Company Selling Porn

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  • Interesting (Score:5, Funny)

    by JoshJ ( 1009085 ) on Monday January 29, 2007 @01:07AM (#17795756) Journal
    How big is Canada's bloc of religious wackos who think anything sexual is so horrible it needs to be banned? I'm hoping it's significantly smaller than it is in the US so that this excellent example of free speech will hold up as something for America to follow.

    • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Porn is for pigs. This is a reason the Islam nuts want to kill the western people. Civilsation is in reverse and you sound cutting edge.

    • Re:Interesting (Score:5, Interesting)

      by king-manic ( 409855 ) on Monday January 29, 2007 @01:55AM (#17796110)
      How big is Canada's bloc of religious wackos who think anything sexual is so horrible it needs to be banned? I'm hoping it's significantly smaller than it is in the US so that this excellent example of free speech will hold up as something for America to follow.

      I live in the middle of the largest bloc of "wackos", work for the company in question. The wackos are mostly harmless and get pummelled into submission by the minorities and liberal press. Our "conservative wackos" would problably pass as "democrats" in the states.

    • Re:Interesting (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Dorceon ( 928997 ) on Monday January 29, 2007 @02:27AM (#17796280)
      In Canada, violence is harmful and sex not so much! It's backwards land!

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Sanctimonious blowhards like Michael Coren, Charles McVety, and Janet Epp Buckingham and her League of Decency might be outraged. *shrug*, too bad.

      I'm not sure why people would suddenly get outraged over Telus when telecom companies like Rogers, Bell, etc. have been carrying pay-per-view pr0n channels for a few years now, and probably getting a cut of the money too. A quick scan of my Rogers digital box shows such titles as 'Natural Born Boobs 3' and 'The Anal Express' available on PPV.

      No, what's outrageo

    • In other news, automobile accidents on rise (Score:5, Funny)

      by goombah99 ( 560566 ) on Monday January 29, 2007 @03:42AM (#17796666)
      Forget the religious wackos. Now instead of one handed cell phone using drivers were going to have people diving with their knees while they use the other hand to choke their chicken.

    • Re:Interesting (Score:5, Insightful)

      by kripkenstein ( 913150 ) on Monday January 29, 2007 @07:15AM (#17797622) Homepage

      How big is Canada's bloc of religious wackos who think anything sexual is so horrible it needs to be banned?

      1. Don't equate pornography with sex. It isn't the same. You can be pro-sex but not pro-pornography.

      2. That said, I would say that 95% of violently anti-pornography people are, at some level, anti-sex.

  • Blame Canada jokes (Score:5, Funny)

    by RelliK ( 4466 ) on Monday January 29, 2007 @01:08AM (#17795758)
    in 3...2...1...

  • Unfortunate phrasing in TFA (Score:5, Funny)

    by patio11 ( 857072 ) on Monday January 29, 2007 @01:09AM (#17795764)
    "They can keep it in their pocket."

    • Re:Unfortunate phrasing in TFA (Score:5, Funny)

      by chris_mahan ( 256577 ) <chris.mahan@gmail.com> on Monday January 29, 2007 @01:10AM (#17795770) Homepage
      I think it was more tongue-in-cheek.

      \me ducks.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by arivanov ( 12034 )
      Err...

      You are applying the wrong perspective. We are talking about a Canadian telecommunication company here, not the users. They have a long history here as a country. After all another Canadian company already got every single exec and 90% of the gadget freaks armed with a vibrator in their crotch area which they can after that twiddle with two thumbs to extract extra satisfaction from.

      So adding some visuals to the already existing executive services is very logical.

      Nothing new and surprising here, move a

  • Selling porn? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by GMontag ( 42283 )
    I still can not figure out why anybody buys porn when so much of it is still free, as in beer as it were.

    Guessing it might be harder to get free on one's phone as I have not tried to get it at all on mine, but still.
    • Paying for quality, I guess. Not that I'd pay, but most of what I get is torrents of questionable legality.
      It also depends on what you want. If you had a really specific fetish and there was a site for it, I could see paying for it rather than having to settle for whats mainstream.

      Not to mention the crowd that just doesnt know any better.
      • If you had a really specific fetish and there was a site for it, I could see paying for it rather than having to settle for whats mainstream

        That's true. Plenty of videos of nurses on the trackers, most of which have a senior nurse come in. But how often easy is it to find a video of Senior Administrative Nurses?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by neoform ( 551705 )
      You wouldn't be able to get it for free if some people didn't pay for it.

      Also, this new cell phone deal is pretty sweet, not I can download porn on the bus!

  • understatement (Score:5, Funny)

    by scenestar ( 828656 ) on Monday January 29, 2007 @01:12AM (#17795782) Homepage Journal
    Telus decided to introduce the service after noticing that there existed a certain 'segment of the population that is interested in that content'

    You mean 98.7 percent of the entire adult population.
    • At least they didn't say they paid for a survey...

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by metlin ( 258108 ) *
      You mean 98.7 percent of the entire adult population.

      Male adult population - most women I know do not particularly care for porn. Stories, on the other hand. Oh yeah, boobies for men and smut for women.

  • Rip-off (Score:5, Funny)

    by Whiney Mac Fanboy ( 963289 ) * <whineymacfanboy@gmail.com> on Monday January 29, 2007 @01:12AM (#17795790) Homepage Journal
    mobile browsers to purchase both photographic and video adult-oriented content from Telus, at an average of CD$4 per download.

    Goddamn! $4 for images & videos... I guess Canadian Telcos are as fond of screwing their customers as the US's.

    • Well... (Score:5, Funny)

      by Frosty Piss ( 770223 ) on Monday January 29, 2007 @01:17AM (#17795836)

      I guess Canadian Telcos are as fond of screwing their customers...

      It is porn...

    • As a Telus Mobility customer, and formerly a Telus DSL customer, I can say that they are possibly MORE fond of customer rapeage than US providers.

      In fact, while they provide smartPhone services, they don't even offer a plan with unlimited data! Crazy.

  • Such a dirty word... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Frosty Piss ( 770223 ) on Monday January 29, 2007 @01:15AM (#17795812)
    "Pornography" is such a dirty word... Let's call it what it is, erotica.

  • Coming soon to U.S.? Ha! (Score:3, Insightful)

    by phillymjs ( 234426 ) <slashdot@stanTWAINgo.org minus author> on Monday January 29, 2007 @01:16AM (#17795822) Homepage Journal
    'We're fairly certain that if our competitors in Canada haven't launched it, they will soon. Same in the US.'

    Yeah, right, buddy. Maybe the population as a whole is a little more liberal up there in America Junior, but if AT&T, Verizon or any other U.S. cell provider even floats that idea in a meeting, the Bible-thumpers will start up the boycotts and letter-writing campaigns and raise all kinds of hell to make sure it never comes to fruition.

    ~Philly

    • Yeah, right, buddy. Maybe the population as a whole is a little more liberal up there in America Junior, but if AT&T, Verizon or any other U.S. cell provider even floats that idea in a meeting, the Bible-thumpers will start up the boycotts and letter-writing campaigns and raise all kinds of hell to make sure it never comes to fruition.

      Yep. After all, those dang bible-thumpin' hillbillies did such an efficient job of banning pornographic books, magazines, phone-sex lines, "adult shops", VHS, DVD's, Cab

  • Telus (Score:5, Interesting)

    by MarkRose ( 820682 ) on Monday January 29, 2007 @01:18AM (#17795842) Homepage
    Telus is actually a fairly progressive company. They even started using VOIP for long distance back in 2002 [nortel.com]. Home Internet service is quite reliable (they don't even shape bittorrent traffic, that I'm aware of), and they're often upgrading ADSL service at no extra charge (though I splurged for a 6.0/1.0 connection at $45/mn). They also stand up for their customers, refusing to give out customer details without a subpoena, etc. The Mobility division (cell phones, etc) is also quite competitive, though they do rape you with long distance charges on cellphones, but no one has the same coverage they do. Honestly, this latest move doesn't surprise me too much (though I was surprised when it first showed up on my cell's browsing homepage).

    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Telus is anything but progressive.

      They charge a $5 per month 'long distance admin fee' on your telephone service. It is just a money grab. If you opt out of their expensive long distance service, then your internet charges go up by...you guessed it...$5 per month.

      My internet service will cost over $40 per month for the 1.5/.5 connection when my "price protection plan" ends. I'm locked into their crappy service and they said it will cost me $240 if I choose to bail out early.

      Their webmail uses unencrypted we

      • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

        by RealGrouchy ( 943109 )

        Telus is anything but progressive.

        They charge a $5 per month 'long distance admin fee' on your telephone service....My internet service will cost over $40 per month ... and they said it will cost me $240 if I choose to bail out early.
        How is that not progressive? They're just ahead of the inflation curve!

        - RG>

      • They charge a $5 per month 'long distance admin fee' on your telephone service. It is just a money grab. If you opt out of their expensive long distance service, then your internet charges go up by...you guessed it...$5 per month.

        My internet service will cost over $40 per month for the 1.5/.5 connection when my "price protection plan" ends. I'm locked into their crappy service and they said it will cost me $240 if I choose to bail out early.

        Sounds like you made some poor decisions regarding your ISP. Blame yourself.

        Their webmail uses unencrypted web pages, so you can't use it from wireless hot-spots. Or pretty much anywhere you don't trust the intermediate ISP(s). It probably isn't safe to use anywhere but from home, so what's the point?

        It's rather bizarre that you use your ISP's email -- what if you have to change your ISP? Go with a GMail account; it's free, ISP neutral, and allows you to use SSL for everything. Plus, GMail gives you way more storage and likely better spam filtering. Or spend a few bucks and get your own domain name and choose a provider that meets your requirements.

        It sounds like your bitterness towards Telus is all due to your own poor ch

        • It's rather bizarre that you use your ISP's email -- what if you have to change your ISP? Go with a GMail account; it's free, ISP neutral,

          You only get that so-called "free" Gmail account in exchange for your privacy. I'd trust almost any ISP with my important data before I'd trust Google. And the idea that it's provider-independent is laughable; you're making yourself dependent on an advertising megacorporation as your email provider, and they don't even have any obligation to provide the service to you;

      • Their webmail uses unencrypted web pages, so you can't use it from wireless hot-spots. Or pretty much anywhere you don't trust the intermediate ISP(s). It probably isn't safe to use anywhere but from home, so what's the point?

        Then why use it? I have no idea whether T-Online offers mail and I don't care - with the freemailers trying to outdo each other in terms of features and with SSL/TLS-secured POP3/SMTP/IMAP servers being the standard (as well as HTTPS-secured webmail interfaces) there's no real reason

    • Re:Telus (Score:4, Informative)

      by ceoyoyo ( 59147 ) on Monday January 29, 2007 @02:16AM (#17796230)
      If only they didn't have to be frequently censured by the CRTC for abysmal customer service, commonly lie to their customers when they do have problems with their services, and have so many problems with their bureaucracy that it takes them a month to actually switch DSL service to a new account.

    • Re:Telus (Score:5, Informative)

      by quantaman ( 517394 ) on Monday January 29, 2007 @03:23AM (#17796578)
      They also blocked access [www.cbc.ca] to one of their unions websites during a strike.

  • What will happen (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward

    when Canadians and others with porn on their mobilephones, beknownstly or unbekonwnstly illegal in the US arrive in the US and get deatained for it? It all sounds so salacious. what is an agent thinks the "performers" or "models" are not of age (even if there were) how'd you prove it quickly? I see lots of inconveneince. Leave your porn home....

    Anyway, what kind of mentality do thse people have needing porn on their phones.. Can't they wait till they get back home (or office at worst).

    Talk about peopl

    • The attitude is "it's technically possible to put it on a mobile to I will pay for being able to do so". Some people would buy anything if it's for the mobile, even if that means they have to get a $5/mo subscription.

  • Oh great (Score:5, Funny)

    by Stephen Tennant ( 936097 ) on Monday January 29, 2007 @01:37AM (#17795990) Journal
    As if driving and talking on the phone wasn't dangerous enough. How will I hold the steering wheel?
  • Porn is a high margin business, and as long as there are adequate safeguards and above the law, it's ethical.

    The moralists may object, but when they see how common phone services like voice, data are cheaper because of the porn revenue stream, they should come on the telco's side.

    Of course it will help if the telecom peddles the porn under a different brand name...

  • This is a desperate move by Telus to try and retain some of the customers who are going to be leaving to Rogers / Bell Mobility / Whoever once March comes around and the government regulation mandating that the telcos allow customers switch from telco to telco while keeping their phone number comes into effect.

    I have been with Telus for a long time and I'll tell you that their phone suck (they don't allow using phones with removable SIM cards, the coverage sucks (well for me it is always bad, I live in Toro

    • I have been with Telus for a long time and I'll tell you that their phone suck (they don't allow using phones with removable SIM cards, the coverage sucks (well for me it is always bad, I live in Toronto,) the prices are high, there is no reasonable way to use Telus while traveling in Europe.

      I can't argue about using the phones in Europe, but you're in the same boat with Bell there; they both use CDMA. Moving right along; I live in the GTA myself (east of the city in Durham) and work in both Scarborough

  • ...Phone-a-bone. Smut Message System? Brings new meaning to reaching out and touching someone.
  • > mobile browsers to purchase both photographic and video adult-oriented
    > content from Telus, at an average of CD$4 per download.

    which only goes to prove, using a cellular phone really does make you stupid.
  • "The future is friendly"

    HELL YES, IT'S FRIENDLY!... Before they just squeezed our nuts. Now they are rubbing our thigh and whispering dirty things in our ear.

    Funny, but I don't remember that being in the "futuristic" commercials envisioning how we would be using mobile technology. I am fairly certain I don't remember any money shots, at least.
  • Anybody got a torrent link?
  • First, privacy is the first issue. I don't quite see people viewing porn on the bus, the steps of their job, on the street, or even in their cars. For people that are not unstable, I don't see anyone needing to view this material or participating in related activities in a public location. That reduces people down to their home or some other private venue. Anyone, who owns a computer, can get a significant amount freely through the internet. So, I don't see porn on the cell phone computer competing with the
    • There is your answer. I will buy an iPhone not because it is logical, but because I want to be cool. Similarly, I will put porn on it because I'm a horny bastard. :)
  • On Fido, I went through their picture download thingie with the $50 that I got with a new cell phone (to replace a dead one).... They also sell (soft) porn...
  • ET phone porn.

  • In Hong Kong, there are virtual girlfriends [v-girl.com] for cell phones.

    This thing is really insidious. The girls are high-maintenance. You have to text them frequently and buy them stuff.

  • ..er. I mean hypothetically.

  • Telus decided to introduce the service after noticing that there existed a certain 'segment of the population that is interested in that content' from review of the mobile Web browsing habits of their subscribers 'on an aggregate level.'

    Marketing-speak. The gray goo of verbal communication.

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