Tumblr announced a ban on adult content earlier this month. It came as a surprise to many of the platform’s users who preferred it precisely because of its acceptance of such content. However, the company laid down the law in a blog post, saying that “adult content will no longer be allowed here.” That policy has now begun to take effect.
The ban applies to all explicitly adult content and nudity with only a few exceptions. It will cover photos, videos, and GIFs of such content. The only exceptions are nude classical statues and any political protests that feature nudity.
Under this new policy, Tumblr will now be automatically flagging such content as explicit. Once a post is tagged as explicit, it will be hidden from public view. It won’t be deleted but it will only be visible to the poster.
It reiterates that none of the content will be deleted. Posts that are flagged will be hidden from public view. Users will be able to appeal these flags if they feel that their content was erroneously marked. It’s planning to add new features that will make appeals more manageable for users that get multiple posts flagged. No blogs will be deleted even if they have posted adult content in the past.