Tumblr announced this week that it will begin enforcing a site-wide pornography ban starting Dec. 17. The blogging and social sharing platform arrived at the decision after the Tumblr app was removed from the App Store for having graphic depictions of child sexual abuse on its site.
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Prohibited content will now include “photos, videos or GIFs that show real-life human genitals or female-presenting nipples and any content — including photos, videos, GIFs and illustrations — that depicts sex acts.”
In a statement, Tumblr, which already has a “zero tolerance policy” for inappropriate content featuring children, explained how the explicit material ended up on the site to begin with. The company noted that its system screens every image uploaded to the platform against a database of known prohibited material, but the images that made it onto the site were not yet included in the database. After the app was removed by Apple, Tumblr removed the disturbing content, as well as additional “adult content” that many may find offensive.
“As Tumblr continues to grow and evolve, and our understanding of our impact on our world becomes clearer, we have a responsibility to consider that impact across different age groups, demographics, cultures and mindsets,” Tumblr CEO Jeff D’Onofrio explained in a statement released Monday. “We spent considerable time weighing the pros and cons of expression in the community that includes adult content. In doing so, it became clear that without this content we have the opportunity to create a place where more people feel comfortable expressing themselves.”
To help users better understand what will be allowed on the site when the Dec. 17 policy takes effect, Tumblr published a list of guidelines to clarify its stance:
What is still permitted?
Examples of exceptions that are still permitted are exposed female-presenting nipples in connection with breastfeeding, birth or after-birth moments, and health-related situations, such as post-mastectomy or gender confirmation surgery. Written content such as erotica, nudity related to political or newsworthy speech, and nudity found in art, such as sculptures and illustrations, are also stuff that can be freely posted on Tumblr.
This isn’t the first time Tumblr has come under fire for hosting explicit sexual material. Tech news site Engadget, which is owned by Tumblr’s parent company, reported that in 2016, Tumblr was banned from Indonesia for containing pornographic images.
The latest move to crack down on inappropriate content appears to be primarily motivated by a concern for Tumblr users.
“There are no shortage of sites on the internet that feature adult content,” Jeff D’Onofrio stated Monday. “We will leave it to them and focus our efforts on creating the most welcoming environment possible for our community.”