Tumblr lifts its four-year ban on nudity – sending Twitter users into a flurry after claims emerge that Elon Musk plans to charge for videos, including explicit content
- Tumblr is lifting its four-year ban on creations containing nudity
- The site banned the adult content in 2018 following a child pornography issue
- People will be able to sift through nudity for free on Tumblr, which sparked a flurry on Twitter, as users note Twitter is charging them to access the content
Tumblr announced nudity is allowed back on the platform for the first time since it was banned in 2018 – a move that comes just hours after Elon Musk plans to charge for video content on Twitter that some speculate will show adult content.
The microblogging site prohibited adult content after its app was removed from Apple’s App Store due to a child pornography incident.
The reinstatement allows users to sift through creations containing nudity, mature subject matters and sexual themes for free, while Twitter’s option will come at a cost.
Tumblr’s announcement has sparked excitement among users who joke while Twitter is asking users to pay for a blue checkmark, Tumblr is offering free nudes.
Tumblr is lifting its four-year ban on nudity, allowing users to share creations with mature subject matters and sexual themes that can be viewed for free
The updated Community Guidelines, however, note that ‘visual depictions of sexually explicit acts’ are not allowed on Tumblr, which is likely due to the child pornography issue it faced four years ago.
Former Tumblr CEO Jeff D’Onofrio said in 2018 that the firm weighed the pros and cons thoroughly before making its decision to remove adult content, and said users who wanted to look at porn had ‘no shortage’ of other places to visit.
Years later Tumblr has changed its tune in a surprising move that now lets it compete with the social media powerhouses.
Users flocked to Twitter to share their opinion about Tumblr’s move that comes just hours before Elon Musk is said to be planning a paid video feature that could include adult content
Users are thrilled to see Tumblr is again allowing nudity on the site. The updated Community Guidelines, however, note that ‘visual depictions of sexually explicit acts’ are not allowed on Tumblr, which is likely due to the child pornography issue it faced four years ago
The platform’s new Community Guidelines state nudity in the form of videos, pictures, GIFs, drawings, CGI or anything similar is welcomed, but such mediums showing sexually explicit acts cannot be posted.
‘We hope this shift creates more room for artistic expression to flourish on Tumblr while empowering each of you to craft your own experience and safely explore and discover the things you love,’ the updated reads.
However, Tumblr notes that blogs with mature content themes may not be eligible for certain features, including monetization options.
Regardless, users are excited about the announcement with some saying ‘it is time for Tumblr to rise from the ashes.’
Another poked fun that Twitter is offering paid blue check marks, while you can ‘get free nudes’ on Tumblr.
Tumblr’s move comes just hours before news spread that Musk ‘is working on plans to charge users to view video content on Twitter – which is already one of the only social media sites that allows nudity and pornography to be posted.
Another Twitter users poked fun that Twitter is offering blue checkmarks at a price, but you can get free nudes on Tumblr
According to the Washington Post, an internal Twitter email obtained revealed the plans: ‘When a creator composes a tweet with a video, the creator can enable the paywall once a video has been added to the tweet.’
The proposed move would mean creators who already post explicit clips will be able to put up their own paywalls, charging as little as $1 for people to be able to view their X-rated footage.
Twitter is already home to a thriving exchange of pornographic imagery, which comprises about 13 percent of all content on the site, internal company data showed earlier this year.
The creator would then receive a sum of money – allegedly up to $10 – from each user who pays for their video content, with Twitter also taking an unspecified cut.
According to a mock-up of what the feature may look like, the paywalled content was obscured, with a lock icon and the message ‘view for $1.’