[Cont. Updated] All about Tumblr adult content ban, alternative platforms, and more

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Looks like Tumblr users are facing some major issues. We are seeing reports on Twitter that the ability to search for NSFW or explicit content is currently not working. In other words, the Safe Mode search filter apparently remains active even if you explicitly turn it off.

Other concern that’s coming to light is that the app has gone missing from the App Store. Some of the users who deleted the app for some reason found this nasty surprise when they tried re-installing the app from the App Store. Others, who were installing the app for the first time also complained the same.

Following is a selection of tweets that should give you a better idea on the ongoing Tumblr-related problems:

https://twitter.com/gangtanboys/status/1063489478235435010

Currently, the missing app problem seems to be limited to App Store as Tumblr’s play store listing is in tact. We are continuously monitoring the situation, and will let you know as and when a news-worthy development takes place.

We’ll be continuously updating this story………….

Update (November 17):

Tumblr has officially acknowledged the iOS issue. Meanwhile, we have also found a potential workaround to the ‘app missing from App Store’ issue. Details here.

Update (November 19):

Tumblr has revealed the reason behind these ongoing troubles: it’s child pornography. Here’s the company’s exact statement:

We’re committed to helping build a safe online environment for all users, and we have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to media featuring child sexual exploitation and abuse. As this is an industry-wide problem, we work collaboratively with our industry peers and partners like NCMEC to actively monitor content uploaded to the platform. Every image uploaded to Tumblr is scanned against an industry database of known child sexual abuse material, and images that are detected never reach the platform. A routine audit discovered content on our platform that had not yet been included in the industry database. We immediately removed this content. Content safeguards are a challenging aspect of operating scaled platforms. We’re continuously assessing further steps we can take to improve and there is no higher priority for our team

Update (November 20):

Users are alleging that Tumblr’s fight with Child porn has resulted in deletion of a lot of NSFW blogs and even some SFW blogs as well. Details here.

Update (November 21):

Until now, users of Tumblr for Android have been affected by the Safe Mode changes. However, now it has come to light that the censorship update has hit Android as well (Safe Mode turn off is now also not working on Tumblr for Android). Details here.

Update (November 22):

Has Tumblr started losing user base? Services like Newgrounds are confirming that they are getting users who migrated fro Tumblr. Details here.

Update (December 03):

Tumblr allowing NSFW ads despite blocking everything explicit. More info here.

Update (December 04):

-> Tumblr’s blanket ban on adult content: Here are some of the hilarious memes we found.

-> Embarrassing but true: Tumblr’s algorithms flagged its own announcement as explicit/adult. Details here.

-> An NSFW Tumblr artist’s Change.org petition (seeking to reverse the adult content ban ) has got over 160,000 signs in 15 hours. For details, head here.

-> Tumblr alternatives/replacements: Newgrounds, Pillowfort, and more. For details, head here.

-> Want to know why is Verizon owned Tumblr banning adult content December 17 onward? Read our latest coverage on the matter by heading here.

Update (December 05):

-> Tumblr users are planning a 24 hour ‘log off’ protest against the company’s recently announced porn ban, but will it help? Read our latest coverage by heading here.

-> An uproar of sorts has broken out on social media over the use of the term “female-presenting nipples” in Tumblr’s official ‘adult content ban’ announcement. We bring you a potential reason behind the use of this term. Details here.

Update (December 06):

Want to move Tumblr blog to another platform? Here’s how to export data.

Update (December 07):

BREAKING: A secret new Tumblr alternative might be in offering. Yes, screenshots detailing some features of the new platform have been shared by someone who says they received them from an “anonymous source”. For details, head here.

Update (December 08):

Owl pics? Here’s how Tumblr censor bots are being fooled.

Update (December 09):

We have stumbled upon two more platforms – Explicitr and Suffra – that are also pitching themselves as Tumblr alternatives. More info on them here.

Update (December 11):

Dark Cloud has jumped into the Tumblr alternatives bandwagon. The company has announced Tumblr Converter, a tool will allow users to convert their Tumblr account to a Dark Cloud profile. Details here.

Update (December 12):

-> Tumblr alternative PillowFort clarifies stance on sexually explicit art featuring minors. Details here.

-> Tumblralt is a Tumblr alternative from engineers within Tumblr community. Read more about it here.

Update (December 13)

Tumblr has been accused of shadow banning visual artists, while users and porn bots have been exploiting a new loop hole to avoid being flagged by Tumblr’s censoring bots. All this and more in our latest coverage here.

Update (December 14)

-> Pillowfort got over 10k users since Tumblr adult content ban, says it’s too much. Read details.

->Big news: Tumblr for iOS is back on Apple App Store following porn ban. Complete story here.

Update (December 15)

Last week, we highlighted a couple of more platforms pitching themselves as Tumblr alternatives: Explicitr and Suffra. Now, Explicitr CEO has exclusively shared with PiunikaWeb some more information about the platform, including what affect Tumblr’s announcement has had on their offering. Complete story here.

Update (December 17)

The log off 2018 protest, which involves users logging off from Tumblr on December 17 for 24 hours, has begun. We are tracking it here.

Update (December 18)

-> A day after Tumblr’s adult content ban, what’s changed? – We take a look what all happened yesterday and what has changed for Tumblr and its users. Complete story here.

-> Is there something fishy going on with Tumblr App Store reviews? A lot of users think so. Check out the story here.

Update (December 19)

BREAKING: A simple HTML hack lets you circumvent Tumblr adult content ban – an adult blog owner on Tumblr did a simple HTML hack through which they removed the filtering done by Tumblr on their blog. Complete story here.

Update (December 20)

Users are reporting the appeal button, which one could use in case they felt their post or blog was wrongly flagged as explicit, has been removed. Details here.

Update (December 22)

A section of Tumblr users protested the adult content ban on December 17 by logging off from the platform for 24 hours. Now, details on the second phase of this protest have been announced. Complete story here.

Update (December 24)

A new Tumblr alternative has come to light. It’s called iLOOPit, and is basically a platform for nsfw gif blogging. Details here.

Update (December 26)

In a major development that has made many artists unhappy, Twitter has changed its handling of images (especially PNG images) just weeks after the Tumblr NSFW ban. Catch the complete story by heading here.

Update (December 28)

Tumblr is no longer banned in Indonesia due to the platform’s new policy. Details here.

Update (December 30)

Tumblr protest phase 2 begins, users are mass tweeting to Tumblr CEO, Verizon, and Yahoo. Check out our coverage here.

Update (January 01)

Tumblr’s adult content ban has had no affect on porn bots. In fact, users say porn bots have become even more aggressive after the December 17 ban. Read our complete story here.

Update (January 03)

-> Tumblr porn will be reborn – iLOOPit co-founder Aiden Cross explains what made Tumblr attractive and why iLOOPit is one of best Tumblr alternatives out there. Check out the complete story here.

-> Wanna have a hearty laugh? Read our latest coverage titled Tumblr’s censoring of floppy disk photos spawns hilarious reactions on Twitter. Head here.

Update (January 06)

We did some research on where Tumblr pedophiles have been migrating to, and found there’s reportedly a mass migration to Twitter. Check out the complete story here.

Update (January 07)

-> While publicly, Tumblr cited discovery of child pornograhy on its platform as the reason which eventually resulted in the company banning all adult content, but there could be some other reason behind the blanket ban on all things NSFW/porn/explicit. Read our latest story to know more. Head here.

Update (January 09)

-> A new Tumblr alternative has come to light. It’s called MojoFire. Read out latest story titled ‘MojoFire wants to transcend Tumblr, not just replace it‘ by heading here.

-> Good news! Tumblr users can now see a list of all their flagged posts. To know the complete process, head here.

Update (January 11)

Popular American cartoonist Liz Climo’s comics got caught up in Tumblr porn ban. Liz has been working as an animator on the television series The Simpsons since 2003. Complete story here.

Update (January 12)

-> While Tumblr’s implementation of the ban has left a very large number of users annoyed, we have now stumbled upon someone whose blog post about nipple drawings has manged to survive this apocalypse. Details here.

-> Tumblr may have banned all adult content due to child pornography stuff on its platform, but in real world, child porn convicts are getting away with light punishments in some cases. Read our latest story titled Tumblr user convicted of child pornography only gets a slap on the wrist.

Update (January 17)

Just how incompetent is Tumblr’s censoring algorithm? Hard to say, but the kind of benchmarks it’s setting each day isn’t projecting a pretty picture at all. Take a look at this picture here that Tumblr’s censoring bots flagged recently.

Update (January 26)

A new Tumblr alternative has come to light. It’s called newTumbl. The selling point of this new platform is it lets users (from social media sites like Tumblr) retain their existing usernames or blog names. For details, read the complete story.

Update (January 28)

We are adding another name to our list of Tumblr alternatives. The platform is called Cumblr, which went live on December 31 last year. Read more about it by heading here.

Update (January 31)

Nearly a couple of months after announcing a complete ban on adult content, Tumblr has made another major change. No, it’s not related to the content this time. Instead it’s about the look and feel of the platform. Details here.

Update (February 04)

“Citrus for hugs/kisses, Lemon for actual sex” – Tumblr users rally behind Citrus Scale to circumvent NSFW/adult content ban, but will it work? Read our latest coverage by heading here.

Update (February 06)

BREAKING: Recently, lot of Tumblr users have been noticing a new ‘Group Chat’ functionality where random users can enter a group chat centered around a topic. The messages in the chat get deleted after 24 hours. Details here.

Update (February 07)

Tumblr ban as benefited MakeLoveNotPorn (a wannabe Facebook of sexual content). Armed with recent $2 million funding, they’ve also launched new Facebook-style timeline. Details here.

Update (February 12)

Tumblr alternative Youllo is new social microblogging network that lets you import your Tumblr blog in 5 clicks. Before importing, you can also have preview of how your Tumblr posts would look on Youllo. Details here.

Update (March 07)

Tumblr porn ban: Platform loses 20% traffic in one month. This and more statistics in our recent coverage here.

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