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Tumblr has a major porn problem – bots, spam and, most seriously, images of child abuse.

But for those that use its site legally, the decision to ban adult content across its entire network is seen as a reluctance to tackle the issues properly.

Tumblr
has decided to give up, rather than do as other sites have done and
invest in measures to handle illegal content, while allowing sexual
expression.

“There are no shortage of sites on the internet that
feature adult content,” said Jeff D’Onofrio, the site’s chief executive,
in explaining the decision.

He’s right, of course. There’s a lot of porn out there. But Tumblr has long offered something different, and important.  

Founded
11 years ago, Tumblr is a platform where users can publish text, images
and videos quickly, as well as share and comment on other submissions.
The site’s popularity peaked in 2014. Yet as its use dwindled, its
reputation as an alternative corner of the internet grew, not least as a
place to find unique adult material.  

Unlike typical pornography
sites, which overwhelmingly cater to men, and serve an often narrow
definition of what is attractive, Tumblr has been a home for something
else – content tailored at vibrant LGBT communities, or for those with
tastes you might not necessarily share with all your friends.

If
society deems it acceptable for any porn to be on the internet, then
that acceptance must surely be inclusive. Unlike most of those other
sites Mr D’Onofrio speaks of, Tumblr has been a space where different
body types are sexually celebrated, not degraded.  

‘I had feared this day would come’

In 2015, Cosmopolitan described Tumblr as a place where women “can explore their sexuality with the support of women without judgement or fear”.

It
argued that Tumblr’s design seemed to cater to different physical need:
offering a slow, building stream of visual and emotional content –
rather than the instant video gratification of sites designed with
hurried male audiences in mind, fast-forward button and all.

Many
on Tumblr have been fearing a porn ban since the network was acquired
by fading web giant Yahoo in 2013. That time, the adult content was
allowed to remain. But in 2017, when Yahoo was acquired by Oath, the
digital arm of telecoms giant Verizon, the writing was on the wall.

“I
had feared this day would come,” wrote one user, who runs a fetish
account, in response to the chief executive’s message on Monday.

“I’m
so sad to see this happen, and can’t believe I’ll be losing this blog. I
honestly don’t know what I’ll do without it, but I truly hope that the
kinky community comes up with a new place for us all to get together and
share.”

When the new guidelines come into effect they will
prohibit any depiction of human genitalia, “female-presenting nipples”
or sex acts – including illustrations. There will be exceptions for
classical artistic works and political protests that involve nudity, but
the company warned enforcement might be inconsistent. Users are able to
export their posts if they wish to leave the platform.

“We’ve
given serious thought to who we want to be to our community moving
forward,” Mr D’Onofrio said. “We’ve realised that in order to continue
to fulfil our promise and place in culture, especially as it evolves, we
must change.”

That change means marginalised people, those who
are all-too-used to being ostracised in their offline lives, now face it
in their online space too. Some of the internet’s most-needed
communities are now homeless.

"We’ve given serious thought to who we want to be to our community moving forward,” Mr D’Onofrio said.

Well, that rather says it all, doesn’t it?

Tumblr’s porn ban abandons the marginalised