Tumblr apologises as ‘lazy’ porn ban comes into effect
Company clarifies guidelines in response to user confusion
Tumblr has apologised to fans after innocuous posts disappeared from the platform as a result of a controversial adult content ban.
The photo-sharing website’s new content guidelines, which came into effect yesterday, bar users from posting images, videos and GIFs that contain “real-life human genitals or female-presenting nipples”.
But the automated systems that Tumblr uses to flag dodgy posts have also been marking up images and videos of things including “turtles, dogs and dolls”, The Verge says.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Images “containing a bit of skin” or cleavage, such as pictures of models at fashion shows, are being flagged too, “despite not fitting Tumblr’s definition of adult content”, the tech news site adds.
In a blogpost responding to complaints, the company said: “We are sorry that this has not been an easy transition and we know we can do a better job of explaining what we’re doing.”
There are “challenges and limitations” in “correctly flagging tens of billions of GIFs, videos, and photos”, the social media giant explained, adding: “Having a post mistakenly flagged as adult totally sucks - we understand and agree that there have been too many wrongfully flagged posts since we announced the policy change.”
Tumblr has also clarified the “admittedly confusing” original guidelines, says TechCrunch.
Posts containing adult content will be “hidden” from public view and not deleted. Some depictions of nudity will be allowed, such as images of breast-feeding women and artwork featuring nude subjects.
Why has Tumblr banned porn?
Last month Tumblr announced plans to block all x-rated content from its platform, after the company was removed from Apple’s App Store for failing to deal with images of child abuse, the BBC reports.
The company claimed that its content filters were unable to detect the images but said a return to the App Store was a “priority”, the broadcaster adds.
Apple has re-listed the Tumblr app since the social network announced its ban on X-rated content.
How have users reacted?
The guidelines has not been well received by many Tumblr users, with some calling for a widespread boycott of the platform until the guidelines are amended to permit explicit content.
Some users see the move as a “lazy response to the platform’s inability to moderate its site for highly illegal content”, while others believe the network will “become barren without its adult content”, says TechRadar.
Although Tumblr argues that there are plenty of other websites offering X-rated videos, some people think the company is missing the point.
In 2015, Cosmopolitan described Tumblr as a place where women can “explore their sexuality” without “judgement or fear”.
Casey Fiesler, assistant professor at the University of Colorado, told Wired that Tumblr had also become a space where the LGBT community and sexual assault victims can seek support.
“Even for fandom participants who don't create adult content themselves, this kind of policy feels like an attack on the community,” Fiesler said.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'A new era of hurricanes'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
How Britain's demographic is changing
A 50-year record population increase was fuelled by greater migration
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
The story of Japanese jeweller Tasaki
The Blend A revival in the use of pearls in fashion and jewellery design places heritage brand Tasaki centre stage
By Felix Bischof Published
-
States sue TikTok over children's mental health
Speed Read The lawsuit was filed by 13 states and Washington, D.C.
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
The 'loyalty testers' who can check a partner's fidelity
Under The Radar The history of 'honey-trapping goes back a long way'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Elon Musk's X blinks in standoff with Brazil
Speed Read Brazil may allow X to resume operations in the country, as Musk's company agrees to comply with court demand
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Threads turns one: where does the Twitter rival stand?
In the Spotlight Although Threads is reporting 175 million active monthly users, it has failed to eclipse X as a meaningful cultural force
By Keumars Afifi-Sabet, The Week UK Published
-
The growing dystopian AI influencer economy
In the Spotlight AI-generated digital personas are giving human influencers a run for their money
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Social media could come with a warning label
Talking Points Do Facebook and TikTok need the notifications that come on cigarettes?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
What happens if TikTok is banned?
Today's Big Question Many are fearful that TikTok's demise could decimate the content creator community
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Instagram hopes that blurring nudity in messages will make teens safer
The Explainer The option will be turned on by default for users under 18
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published