Porn Blogging Back on Google's Blogger Platform; Search-Engine Giant Caves into Pressure Mounted by Porn Lovers
Google on Tuesday announced that starting March 23, those using its platform would no longer be permitted to "publicly share images and video that are sexually explicit or show graphic nudity on Blogger." The following Friday, it said it is reversing itself.
In announcing the earlier ban on porn, Google opened itself to criticism when it said that it would still allow nudity "presented in artistic, educational, documentary or scientific contexts, or where there is substantial benefit to the public." Asked how it would judge what was "beneficial to the public" and what wasn't, the company was apparently at a loss on how to answer.
Jessica Pelegio, Google's social product support manager, at the Blogger Help Forum, wrote: "This week, we announced a change to Blogger's porn policy. We've had a ton of feedback, in particular about the introduction of a retroactive change (some people have had accounts for 10+ years), but also about the negative impact on individuals who post sexually explicit content to express their identities. So rather than implement this change, we've decided to step up enforcement around our existing policy prohibiting commercial porn. Blog owners should continue to mark any blogs containing sexually explicit content as "adult" so that they can be placed behind an "adult content" warning page. Bloggers whose content is consistent with this and other policies do not need to make any changes to their blogs."
Now, only commercial porn will remain banned on the Google platform. Ads with adult content have been barred on the Blogger platform since 2013.
Aside from Google, Reddit also previously announced that it would be taking down "revenge porn" posted at the site. In its statement, it said: "No matter who you are, if a photograph, video, or digital image of you in a state of nudity, sexual excitement, or engaged in any act of sexual conduct, is posted or linked to on reddit without your permission, it is prohibited on reddit. We also recognize that violent personalized images are a form of harassment that we do not tolerate and we will remove them when notified."