In 2007, Tumblr started a community providing users with a space for self-expression. Users could remain as anonymous as they wanted. They could really post whatever they wanted, whether it was cute dog gifs, writing blog posts to express their opinions, or adult content to understand their ever-evolving sexuality. However, after an unfortunate bug in their AI system failed to find an instance of child pornography, Tumblr decided to change direction. As of December 17, 2018, Tumblr no longer allows users to post adult content. These new changes can provide users with a more secure platform. On the other hand, the changes also go against the company's original mission. A simple solution would be to allow users to disable sensitive content, but it's clear that Tumblr sees censorship as a much bigger problem than that. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In mid-November last year, Tumblr disappeared from the iOS App Store. Soon after they released a statement saying that “while every image uploaded to the platform is “scanned against an industrial database of child pornography” to filter out explicit images, a “routine check” discovered content absent from the database, allowing it to slip through the filter." Considering Apple's guidelines, Tumblr was not up to their standards and had to be immediately taken down, however the app remained active on Google Play for Android users. The company quickly stated that its priority is to reinstate the app in the iOS app store. Tumblr has decided to completely ban NSFW (not safe for work) content. This includes any content depicting “real-life human genitals or female nipples,” as well as any media involving sexual acts, including illustrations. For example, if a mother posts a photo of her breastfeeding her newborn, this will be allowed as long as her nipple is not shown. This raises the questions: Are the 30+ million users happy with this? Is it an overall positive decision? The decision was met with huge backlash from users who see the platform as a way to express their sexuality. These users will leave the site and are among the more than 423,000 users who have signed the change.org petition to have Tumblr lift its ban on adult content. In response to critics asking, “why are you doing this?” Tumblr CEO Jeff D'Onfrio says that to foster a deep sense of community they must take responsibility and consider the impact their platform has on different age groups, demographics, cultures and mindsets. And he adds: "there is no shortage of sites on the Internet that present adult content." It's equating a social media site to a porn website. Tumblr has always prided itself on the repost tool, which allows content producers to maintain ownership of their photos and not worry about copyright or trademark infringement. This has fostered a community willing to share intimate moments. Next, they have a powerful reporting system. Users can report harassment, privacy violations and more with the click of a button. They appreciate this type of feedback and have been shown to act on it. Finally, they pledged to ban all “images, videos or GIFs showing real-life human genitalia” or “female nipples.” This will also be applied retroactively, asking users toremove posts that violate policy changes. The official statement urges the public to note that these changes will give more people the opportunity to feel comfortable expressing themselves, without seeing pornographic images while scrolling through their feed. The Verizon-owned company believes this form of censorship equates to a more secure platform. While it may be "safer" for a wider audience, Tumblr has faced backlash from the gay community who feel that the type of adult content posted by Tumblr's creators isn't quite what you'd imagine seeing on a site full-fledged porn. The Washington Post interviewed an Atlanta man who goes by the name Mutabear. This is his story. He's 27 now, so you can imagine when he first discovered his homosexuality, it wasn't as socially accepted as it is today. She goes on to say that “it was a safe space for me to explore things online that I wouldn't necessarily want to try [in] real life, where that might not realistically be realistic. More importantly, it was a way for me to connect with other like-minded people.” Erotic blog posts and gay visual erotica, as well as the online community of accepting and like-minded people, have helped Mutabear find his true self. His following consisted primarily of gay males between the ages of 18 and 25. Mutabear received dozens of direct messages related to what he posted and created positive dialogue and advice, allowing younger males to explore their identity and sexuality anonymously. Not feeling alone during a vulnerable time in your life is priceless, and Tumblr offered peace of mind to these users. It seems that in the process of making Tumblr safer, it also upset the community into feeling more welcome. Finding child pornography on their “safe space” platform is no laughing matter. Tumblr executives made quick and seemingly calculated decisions after the iOS app store story broke. The decisions were made in hopes of creating a better platform. The company has been transparent about the bugs in their system and the measures, which in this case include policy changes, they are taking to improve themselves. Unfortunately, these changes come at the expense of young men and women who use their anonymity to express themselves; to understand who they are now and who they want to be in the future. There are pros and cons to each side. TechCrunch reported in 2017 the release of a new feature called "safe mode" that allowed users to enable censorship of sensitive content. This gave the power to users, rather than company executives. An article from The Verge provides an excellent point about the culture we live in today. We live in “a culture that views porn as a “public health crisis,” that considers censorship of sex preferable to acknowledging its existence, that treats nudity as completely incompatible with the daily lives of human beings, will be l 'only thing we'll have to blame.' Remember: This is just one example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers right away. Get a custom essay Everyone's Tumblr is curated to their tastes, just like we've now curated ads on Facebook. While eliminating adult content helps more people feel comfortable expressing themselves, it has also eliminated a safe space for those trying to understand themselves. In turn, it has marginalized gender and sexual identities and taken away safe space for them. The user base began fleeing to other websites 2018,/