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Tumblr porn ban goes into effect, puppy photos caught in sweep

As users join the #TumblrProtest, the site's ban on "female-presenting nipples" comes in for special criticism.

Gael Fashingbauer Cooper headshot
Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
2 min read

Tumblr's ban on adult content went into effect Monday, and it didn't take long for users to bare their naked thoughts on the move.

The blogging platform announced the change Dec. 3 in a post titled "A better, more positive Tumblr." On Monday, a new post apologized for what the site admitted has "not been an easy transition." Flagged content will be hidden, not deleted, the site reported.

"Written content such as erotica, nudity related to political or newsworthy speech, and nudity found in art, specifically sculptures and illustrations, is also stuff that can be freely posted on Tumblr," the post says. "Although, photorealistic imagery or photography – images, videos, or GIFs -- with real humans that include exposed genitals or female-presenting (yeah, we know you hate this term) nipples or depict sex acts is not allowed per our guidelines."

Breastfeeding and nudity in art are still OK to post.  

Users quickly found flaws in Tumblr's implementation of the ban. Some found tricks to get around the flagging process, others saw legitimate content hidden.

Asked for comment, Tumblr referred CNET back to the Dec. 3 and Dec. 17 posts, as well as the site's posted updates to its community guidelines.

Images Tumblr users said were incorrectly hidden include:

Photos of cats, birds and rocks:

A pixelated Pokemon:

Mister Rogers and a mailman (was it Mr. "Speedy Delivery" McFeely?):

A photo of a pool:

A sleepy penguin:

A man's chest, but not when next to an owl:

An ancient Egyptian tomb:

This cosplay tutorial:

The items on this list, which includes "a puppy" and "leather boots":

And even Tumblr's own post announcing the ban:

The term "female-presenting nipples," mentioned in the Tumblr post about images that aren't allowed, came in for special ridicule from users, especially for the way the site acknowledged the term was problematic.

Hashtags including #TumblrLogOff, #TumblrPurge, #TumblrIsDeadParty and #TumblrProtest objected to the way the changes were being implemented, and some urged users to stay off the site for 24 hours in protest.

In a fairly meta move, some people posted their Tumblr issues on Tumblr itself.

Although the ban may have been well-intentioned, many users clearly disagreed with how it was implemented.

First published Dec. 17, 11:18 a.m. PT.  
Update, Dec. 17 at 11:57 a.m. PT: Adds response from Tumblr.
Update, Dec, 17 at 12:17 p.m. PT: Adds Tumblr user posts relating to ban.