A Slight Over-reaction?
I don’t post much on my Tumblr account. I will admit that I mainly go here to Tumblr for NSFW content, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
What I find wrong is that the Powers That Be at Tumblr decided to prune a tree with sticks of TNT; instead of focusing on removing child porn, they just said “Fuck it. Let’s just ban all NSFW content…including natural and artistic nudity.”
I’m not knowledgeable in the realm of coding, but why is it so difficult to create a working algorithm to combat CP? If it is that hard, hire a team of people to review and remove CP. Yeah, I know that it would be a shit job to have, but it’s better than alienating artists, creators, and naturists.
At the moment, Tumblr’s algorithm is so fucked, it’s flagging SFW content, and their own announcement was flagged! This is becoming a disaster not only for Tumblr, but for the parent company as well.
To be fair, I can understand why they are taking this action. Earlier this year, our government created and passed the FOSTA-SESTA Act, which made websites liable for certain content, even if it was not created by the site owners. This was aimed at sex trafficking and CP, which on the surface may not seem so bad, but very much like the “Explicit Lyrics” stickers on albums in the 1980′s forward, this has a chilling effect on outlets that those media types would have. Back then, many music store chains either stopped selling the works of certain artists, or forced the recording labels to have the musicians alter lyrics or drop songs from albums.
In this digital age, we are seeing this again. Thanks to the FOSTA-SESTA Act, sites like Tumblr don’t want to risk culpability for user-uploaded content that may get them into trouble. I do understand this; it does not mean that I agree with it.
What I find wrong is that the Powers That Be at Tumblr decided to prune a tree with sticks of TNT; instead of focusing on removing child porn, they just said “Fuck it. Let’s just ban all NSFW content…including natural and artistic nudity.”
I’m not knowledgeable in the realm of coding, but why is it so difficult to create a working algorithm to combat CP? If it is that hard, hire a team of people to review and remove CP. Yeah, I know that it would be a shit job to have, but it’s better than alienating artists, creators, and naturists.
At the moment, Tumblr’s algorithm is so fucked, it’s flagging SFW content, and their own announcement was flagged! This is becoming a disaster not only for Tumblr, but for the parent company as well.
To be fair, I can understand why they are taking this action. Earlier this year, our government created and passed the FOSTA-SESTA Act, which made websites liable for certain content, even if it was not created by the site owners. This was aimed at sex trafficking and CP, which on the surface may not seem so bad, but very much like the “Explicit Lyrics” stickers on albums in the 1980′s forward, this has a chilling effect on outlets that those media types would have. Back then, many music store chains either stopped selling the works of certain artists, or forced the recording labels to have the musicians alter lyrics or drop songs from albums.
In this digital age, we are seeing this again. Thanks to the FOSTA-SESTA Act, sites like Tumblr don’t want to risk culpability for user-uploaded content that may get them into trouble. I do understand this; it does not mean that I agree with it.
Relying on an automated program to filter out certain content has its limits, and often-times is unreliable. Tumblr needs a dedicated team of people who can do the job with fewer mistakes, and likely faster results.
That’s just my view on this. I’m not closing my account just yet, as I don’t post or reblog NSFW content. I support tagging NSFW as part of filtering. I support “safe mode” selection for those who don’t want to view that content. I support the freedom for adults to show their consensual sexual freedom with other adults. I do not support this heavy-handed and misguided action that Tumblr is taking, and I do hope they realize what they stand to lose.
–Scott
That’s just my view on this. I’m not closing my account just yet, as I don’t post or reblog NSFW content. I support tagging NSFW as part of filtering. I support “safe mode” selection for those who don’t want to view that content. I support the freedom for adults to show their consensual sexual freedom with other adults. I do not support this heavy-handed and misguided action that Tumblr is taking, and I do hope they realize what they stand to lose.
–Scott
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