Social networking site Tumblr has announced plans to ban all pornographic content, starting December 17.
Tumblr indicated that all content including photos, videos or gifs that “show real-life human genitals or female-presenting nipples” would be banned, alongside any material that depicts sex acts.
Jeff D'Onofrio, Tumblr's chief executive, posted an announcement and stressed the site had always had a "zero tolerance policy" to such content, but wanted to make a “Better, more positive Tumblr.”
Screenshot via Tumblr.
As his announcement, D'Onofrio and Tumblr team always hopes the site can be a safe place for creative expression, self-discovery, and a deep sense of community.
However, according to the Guardian, before the policy, the site had gained a reputation as a safe place for adult-themed artists, sex workers, and pornographers, in spite of the “safe mode” for younger users, which has sometimes caused problems.
Unlike most major websites, Tumblr had a tolerant attitude to legal adult material to be shared on its site.
The new policy comes weeks after the site was pulled from Apple's App Store after child abuse images made it past Tumblr's filters.
The site has also been blocked to varying degrees in South Korea and Indonesia for its overly mature content.