So if you haven’t heard lately, tumblr has been deleting many NSFW blogs. And the app for tumblr has gone missing in the iTunes store, leading many to believe there’s something bigger going on. As of this writing, neither side has said anything publicly, aside from tumblr claiming they’re trying to keep up with the new IOS.
The kinky blogger Kristofer Weston had this to say on his own tumblr:
He linked to this article (also mentioned in his post), which explains as much as we know so far.
Personally, I’ve always felt tumblr was about to go the way of blogspot in terms of adult content. Anytime adult content is hosted for free and easily accessible on a major platform, there will be pushback. I sometimes wonder if twitter may eventually go this way as well. It does help to have “safe modes” and whatnot, but it’s generally not enough to satisfy opponents.
Kristofer also mentions this may be a consequence of the SESTA/FOSTA law that was recently enacted. While it doesn’t explicitly set out to target adult content, it can be used as such… and we may be seeing it’s effects now. I will confess I don’t know all the legal details, but it does seem plausible.
This does explain why I’ve gone back to adding my own age restriction page to this blog. I’ve had one before, but the app I used to install it went out of date, and I hadn’t bothered to get another one. Now I have, and I know it’s annoying… but I do feel it’s necessary. I want to protect myself a bit. Even though I do host my own blog, I’m generally not in any danger of having my site shut down by the host. But it could be shut down from outside complaints, and none of us want that.
It is disappointing so many great bloggers and kinky artists will be (and already have been!) hurt by this, seeing all their work destroyed, many for years, totally unannounced. In hindsight, I’m certainly glad I decided to self-host my own blog. It’s been at a greater personal expense (hosting does cost money–you can help support me by clicking and making your kinky purchases through my ads on the sidebar), but I also have greater security. Everyone keep your fingers and toes crossed for the future of other online adult content… but it’s not looking too bright right now.
