Tumblr to ban all adult content

The site, founded in 2007, makes the move about three weeks after its app was removed from Apple’s App Store following some child sex abuse content appearing on Tumblr.

Even though the site works with groups including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to screen uploaded material, some content got on the site. After it was spotted, “we immediately removed this content,” Tumblr said in an update posted on its site. “Content safeguards are a challenging aspect of operating scaled platforms. We’re continuously assessing further steps we can take to improve and there is no higher priority for our team.”

Now, Tumblr says it will move to ban all adult content as of Dec. 17, including photos of genitalia, as well as photos, videos, illustrations and GIFs of sex acts.

“We spent considerable time weighing the pros and cons of expression in the community that includes adult content,” Tumblr CEO Jeff D’Onofrio wrote in a post on the site. “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.”