Imgur, a popular image-hosting website, has announced that it will be removing explicit and pornographic content from its platform as part of its updated terms of service. This move is set to be implemented beginning May 15, 2021.
As part of this content clean-up, any nudity, pornography, and sexually explicit content as well as any old, inactive, and unused content that is not attached to a user account will be taken down. Imgur did not express how exactly the platform defines ‘old, inactive, and unused content’ and users will be required to save or download any images they wish to keep if they no longer adhere to company terms. This is not the first time Imgur has taken such a step – back in 2019, the platform stopped supporting NSFW subreddits and age-gated adult content, making it ‘hidden’. With this move, Imgur hopes to take further steps towards eliminating sexually explicit content.
Moving on, the tech giants Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc. raised concerns with Amazon in regards to pornographic content on the Kindle app. It was found that such sexually explicit photographs could be accessed by children on the app which is mainly used for reading purposes. Baring in mind the policy violations, both companies asked Amazon to strengthen its content moderation procedures.
It is clear that Imgur has taken firm steps towards further curbing the availability of NSFW content across their platform. It will be interesting to see how Amazon reacts to the pressure from the tech giants and what changes they decide to implement for their own platform.
