The popular pan-Canadian coffee chain Tim Hortons has stopped blocking a gay and lesbian news website from its free in-store Wi-Fi networks.
The decision came last week after an online backlash Friday after it was reported that the chain restricted customers from accessing Dailyxtra.com, the online home for the free newspaper Xtra that’s distributed in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver.
When the publication asked that the site be unblocked, assuming it might have been blacklisted in error, it received an email stating the site was “not appropriate for all ages viewing in a public environment.”
“We try to ensure that all of our guests can enjoy a safe and pleasant experience when visiting us. We look at all of these types of requests in detail in order to provide the most latitude we can while keeping our restaurants a friendly environment,” reads an email from the address timhortonswifi(at)timhortons.com, which Daily Xtra forwarded to The Canadian Press.
The Toronto Star reported that Tim Hortons spokesperson Michelle Robichaud said that the company contracts a company to filter inappropriate sites from its Wi-Fi. The contractor’s screening is automated, though Robichaud confirmed that a person had reviewed dailyxtra.com’s application.
According to Daily Xtra “This isn’t the first time Xtra has reported about gay websites being blocked by public WiFi networks. In 2011, Xtra reported that the Ottawa airport was blocking several gay news sites from its WiFi network. As recently as this May, Xtra investigated reports that xtra.ca was being blocked from Second Cup’s public WiFi network. However, when Second Cup’s publicist was contacted, the Xtra site was unblocked.”
More information:
CBC News – Tim Hortons apologizes after Wi-Fi censor blocks news site – here
Toronto Star – Tim Hortons unblocks website of gay and lesbian newspaper Xtra after Twitter storm – here
Daily Xtra – Tim Hortons apologizes for blocking Dailyxtra.com – here
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