Issues@Hand

AFA initiatives, Christian activism, news briefs

December 2019 – Vudu, a streaming service owned by Walmart, has begun offering a filtering service for movies. It allows viewers to watch movies on Vudu while choosing which offensive material to exclude from the movie, content such as profane language, sex scenes, or graphic violence.

Six months before Vudu released the feature, VidAngel (a comparable filter) was found in violation of copyright law for offering similar services. Movie moguls generally claim their copyrighted “artistic” creations are diminished when viewers skip vulgar and immoral content. Nonetheless, Tim Winter, president of Parents Television Council, remains optimistic about the recent Vudu improvement.

“Over the past two decades,” said Winter, “Disney and other studios have sued about 14 different technology providers. …But now Walmart is stepping in. It’s going to be tough for the studios to squash Walmart like a bug.”

christianheadlines.com, 9/27/19