What do you mean "girl" is a naughty word?

[Duck]

So, in case you haven't know, recently Tumblr's iOS app banned about 446 tags (some of which are also banned on Android and just browser in general) due to Apple choosing to take a firmer stance in their app guidelines for "family friendly" content.

Problem is, some of those tags are extremely harmless. Like #girl, #cry, #heels, and #Tony the Tiger.
Some of those others tags were very useful for people talking about their experiences and activism, like #trauma, #transphobia, and #racism.
Some of those tags are just ... generic terms used for people and / or cultures? Like #arab and #me.

Basically, the common theory right now is that they're just blanket banning any tags that have a big amount of porn or otherwise "unsavory" posts which would explain why tags like #girl would be banned.

As it turns out, it's easily bypassed, but it does bring about a point of questioning about the ever growing censorship and woobifying of the Internet.

It's not really a secret by now that a number of platforms have a very dumb censoring system so you have trouble discussing any kind of adult content, and not even, explicit or raunchy material per se but just using "vulgar" language or discussing your traumas and the societal issues you have encountered. And it doesn't really help (and is often hypocritical)?

Like there's a laundry list of words you can't use on TikTok but that doesn't stop it from creating a lot of problems like "National School Shooting Day" or "Let's steal the toilet lids from your school".

YouTube will go heavy with the demonetization system on any creator that's discussing more adult topics but will have those barely not explicit ads every so often.

And while I get that there should be spaces that should be family friendly (this being one such place, for example), but it's also important to discuss the censorship aspects and how Apple decision's factor in since they have a walled garden, installing alternative clients can be a pain and can basically censor a huge chunk of the Internet (and why that could lead to antitrust behavior like price manipulation to buy a given platform or service).

So:
- How do you feel about the constant sanitization of the Internet?
- How do you feel about the common, blanket way of sanitization that lots of communities use to appease corporate overlords?
- Do you think that Apple (or any other app marketplace) shouldn't have sole control over a given platform?

 

[CiCi]

I personally find most forms of censorship really pointless and stupid, so I despise places like Tumblr and YouTube "cracking down" on dumb crap and hindering their users. I have no idea why Tumblr was so gung-ho on banning porn in the first place. The site was never child-friendly and still isn't, so they just forced their userbase onto Twitter instead, effectively crippling Tumblr in the process. It's such a dying shell of its former self, though I'm not sure if I care so much because I like Tumblr, or because I hate Twitter. A little of both, maybe.

And yes I absolutely think that companies should have less control. Just like... In general.

 

[tigertron]

Censorship on the internet is a very thorny issue and I don't know whether there is a right or wrong answer. Back in the early days of the internet, it was kind of the wild west west with little censorship, for better for worse. I still advocate for an open internet that's free from controlling corporations and governments. That being said, I wouldn't want to be the guy who had the task of developing internet policies. You need to strike a balance between free speech and at the same time, protect people from harmful material.