Tumblr Back on App Store Following Adult Content Ban Announcement

Apple pulled the Tumblr app from its App Store last month after child sexual abuse material was found on the Yahoo-owned micro blogging platform. Tumblr, last week, announced that it was banning all adult content from the platform, and following that announcement, the app has returned to the App Store. At the time, chief executive Jeff D'Onofrio said that they had zero tolerance towards abusive content, and noted that Tumblr will strive to balance allowing conversation about topics such as sex and relationships with banning porn, and noted there are likely to be stumbles.

Following the ban announcement, Apple has relisted the Tumblr app on the App Store. The company will begin enforcing the new policy from December 17. While child pornography has long been banned on the platform, its filters failed to screen out some content.

This abusive content was removed from the site as soon as it was discovered in the audit. However, Apple decided to pull the app from the App Store altogether, and was finally relisted only after the company announced a blanket ban on all adult content.

TechCrunch was first to spot the return of Tumblr, and version 12.2 notes that "This particular update also includes changes to Tumblr's Community Guidelines, which prohibit certain kinds of content from being shown on Tumblr.

While the ban will be enforced on December 17, the company has already introduced an algorithm that flags inappropriate content. This algorithm is said to even flag posts that are non-sexual and not explicit in nature. Several users are now reporting on how their posts, that don't contain any adult content, are being flagged as 'inappropriate'. Tumblr has still to respond to these misfires.

The updated community guidelines asks users not to upload "real-life human genitals or female-presenting nipples" or "any content, including images, videos, GIFs, or illustrations, that depicts sex acts."