‘Adult Content’ No Longer Allowed On Tumblr

Tumblr, owned by Verizon (NYSE: VZ) subsidiary Oath, has announced that it will begin banning “adult content” from its service starting Dec. 17. CEO Jeff D’Onofrio said in a blog post that the site would no longer allow adult porn “including explicit sexual content and nudity (with some exceptions).” After that date, any explicit posts will be flagged and deleted by algorithms.

According to the blog post, banned content includes “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.” Tumblr has previously stated that it has a “zero tolerance policy when it comes to media featuring child sexual exploitation and abuse.”

The exceptions to the new policy were detailed to include: “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.” The site will also allow “written content such as erotica, nudity related to political or newsworthy speech, and nudity found in art, such as sculptures and illustrations.”

Following the ban, all identified “adult” content will be flagged and set to private mode. This means that only the user that posted the content will be able to view it. Users who have posted material that doesn’t comply with its new content standards will be notified via email. Tumblr admits there’s a chance that the automated tools it’s using could make errors. Users that believe the platform has made an error will have the chance to appeal the decision.

Tumblr has remained one of the few social networks to allow graphic adult content, including hardcore pornography, on its platform. Two weeks ago, the platform was kicked out of Apple’s App Store over “child sexual exploitation” posts found during an audit of the platform. The app has yet to return to Apple’s app store.