Automattic—Tumblr banned adult content in 2018, disproportionately affecting LGBTQ+ communities; partially reversed in 2022
In December 2018, Tumblr (under Verizon/Oath ownership, before Automattic's 2019 acquisition) banned all adult content, which disproportionately impacted LGBTQ+ users and sex workers who relied on the platform. Automattic acquired Tumblr in 2019 and in November 2022 partially reversed the ban, allowing some nudity. However, the moderation filters continued to flag LGBTQ+ content at higher rates than heterosexual content.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Content Moderation | +toward | primary | +1.00 |
| LGBTQ+ Rights | +toward | secondary | +0.50 |
| Overall incident score = | +0.322 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (medium ×1) × confidence (0.57)× agency (reactive ×0.75)
Evidence (1 signal)
The Verge report on Tumblr partially reversing adult content ban
The Verge reported that Tumblr would allow nudity in certain contexts after a November 2022 policy update, partially reversing the sweeping 2018 ban that had devastated the platform's LGBTQ+ communities.