“It used to be that if you wanted to access porn you had to go to a seedy movie theater or go in a trenchcoat and buy from a seedy store,” Perry told CQ Roll Call. But the accessibility and anonymity of the internet has dramatically increased access to pornography and brought new fears to the devout, he said.

Covenant Eyes, based in Owosso, Michigan, is one of the companies that designs and sells software filters designed to detect computer or device users accessing pornography. The company works with pastors and ministries to address pornography use among their members.

“You know that people in your ministry are watching porn, and you know that porn use hinders spiritual growth and healthy relationships,” the Covenant Eyes website says, addressing itself to pastors. “But figuring out how to effectively help people overcome porn and find freedom can be overwhelming.”

Accountability partners

After buying a subscription to Covenant Eyes and installing the software on their devices, users are asked to provide an email and phone numbers for a list of friends, family or pastors, called accountability partners. If a user then accesses pornography on their laptop or smartphone, the software then would capture a screenshot, blur it and send an email to the “user’s ally or allies, who they have selected to help them in their journey,” says Dan Armstrong, a spokesman for the company.

The ally or allies then get what’s called a “concerning screenshot” and indicate that they should review the activity, according to the company’s website. “The concerning screenshot will not be immediately shown on the report so as not to immediately expose an ally (someone receiving a report) to potential pornography,” the website said. But the blurring will be removed if the reviewer clicks on an inspect button, the company said.