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More than 52,000 web-filtering events classed as adult content were blocked on the Northern Ireland Assembly network during the latest 12-month period for which data is held.
However, the Northern Ireland Assembly says only around 2,926 events were considered more likely to have been user-initiated. Most of the remaining activity was assessed as automated or system-generated. No successful access to adult content was identified.
More than 52,000 adult-content web events were blocked on the Stormont network during a 12-month period, according to figures released under the Freedom of Information Act.
The figures, first reported by Belfast Live, show that the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission’s web-filtering technology recorded and blocked 52,265 events categorised as adult content.
However, officials stressed that the figure does not mean there were 52,265 deliberate attempts by people at Stormont to access adult websites.
Around 2,926 Events More Likely to Be User-Initiated
Following a review of the available data, the Assembly Commission estimated that approximately 2,926 events were more likely to relate to user-initiated access.
The remaining events were assessed as system-generated or automated activity, including requests produced during normal search-engine activity.
The Assembly Commission also confirmed that all the adult-category events identified during the period were blocked.
Importantly, officials said the available logs did not identify any successful access to adult content.
Key facts
- 52,265 adult-category web-filtering events were recorded and blocked.
- Around 2,926 were considered more likely to be user-initiated.
- Most of the remaining events were assessed as automated or system-generated.
- No successful access to adult content was identified in the available logs.
Pornhub and Xvideos Recorded in Blocked URLs
The Freedom of Information request also sought figures relating to several named adult websites.
According to the official Assembly FOI response, blocked URLs containing the term “Pornhub” were recorded on four occasions, while “Xvideos” appeared once within the adult-content category.
However, officials again cautioned that the presence of a website name within a URL does not necessarily mean someone deliberately attempted to visit that particular website.
The term “Pornhub” also appeared 264 times within URLs categorised as allowed general content.
The Assembly said these included general websites such as news services and search engines where the word appeared as part of the URL string.
No recorded instances of the words Redtube, Xhamster, YouPorn, Extremetube, Literotica or Xvideos were identified within those allowed general-category results.
Stormont Only Holds 12 Months of Filtering Data
The original Freedom of Information request asked for figures covering 2024, 2025 and 2026 to date.
However, the Assembly Commission said it retains this type of information for only the latest rolling 12-month period.
It was therefore unable to provide separate figures for 2024 and 2025.
The FOI 38-26 disclosure is dated 16 July 2026, following a request submitted on 11 June 2026.
What the 52,265 Stormont Adult Content Figure Actually Means
The distinction between a web-filtering event and a deliberate attempt to access a website is important.
Web-filtering systems can record requests generated automatically when webpages load, search engines return results or online services communicate with other servers.
Therefore, the headline figure of 52,265 Stormont adult content events should not be interpreted as 52,265 people deliberately attempting to access pornography.
The Assembly Commission’s estimate of approximately 2,926 potentially user-initiated events provides more context.
The published information does not, however, establish that 2,926 different people were involved. Nor does it identify individual users.
Read the Sources
You can read the original documents and reporting here:
Read the original sources
View the official Northern Ireland Assembly disclosure or the original Belfast Live report.
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