Google rolls back their call to ban adult content on Blogger
After receiving a flood of user feedback, Google has decided to reverse its decision to ban nude images and videos on Blogger. Earlier this week, Google emailed selected bloggers to inform them that sexually explicit photographs or videos would be banned from all public blogs. Although Google would not remove any content from blogs, they would restrict access.
Blogs would be designated as private, meaning that “only blog authors and those with whom they have expressly shared the blog” would be able to view the site. The change was to take effect by March 23, and bloggers were advised to cease posting content that would violate the new policy, and to “make any necessary changes” in order to “comply as soon as possible.”
Users refused to stand by and be censored
Users protested that the ban would retroactively punish bloggers who have been publishing and accumulating readers for years.
According to Google’s Social Product Support Manager Jessica Pelegio, the policy change would also have a “negative impact on individuals who post sexually explicit content to express their identities.”
Blogger has reversed its original decision, and rather than ban sexually explicit content, instead plans to more vigorously enforce existing pornography policies, which forbid users from making money or advertising commercial pornography, from posting photographs without the consent of their subjects, and from posting depictions of illegal sex acts.
All sites with nudity or sexually explicit material redirect users to an adult content warning page before proceeding to the blog. Blogger maintains the right to designate explicit blogs as “adult” if the blog’s author hasn’t already done so.
This is a good reminder of the value of owning your own content
Although Blogger’s content policy describes the platform as a place for “self-expression and freedom of speech,” the recent change serves as a reminder that if you are blogging without your own domain, your content will always be subject to the terms of service of the platform you are using. These policies can change at any time.
Video based social network Vine recently banned sexually explicit content outright. However, the fact that Google was so responsive to user’s objections shows that they are not eager to lose users to other sites, like Tumblr, who are notoriously lenient about sexually explicit content.
