Tumblr to Ban All Adult Content on Dec. 17

Tumblr to Ban All Adult Content on Dec. 17

LOS ANGELES — Tumblr has announced it will no longer allow adult content on its site, beginning on Dec. 17.

According to a newly updated policy on what constitutes sensitive content, "Adult content primarily 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."

After the ban goes live on Dec. 17, algorithms will target adult content for flagging and removal. Members of the community whose content Tumblr has flagged as adult will receive email notices with a link to the flagged posts, which will be reverted to a private setting viewable only by the user, and be given the opportunity to appeal the decision via a form.

Since its founding in 2007, Tumblr has permitted adult content, but this recent move — amidst Instagram and Facebook's increasingly aggressive censoring and Twitter's shadowbanning of sex workers — is the latest effort by digital media platforms to become fully safe-for-work. 

Backlash from consumers was swift on Twitter, with #Tumblr trending massively and several adult stars, cam models and clip artists reacting with dismay. 

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