Tumblr Removed From App Store Over Failure to Filter Out Child Pornography

[jsmith189]

Are the "ban Safari" crew being purposely facetious?

Apple aren't "in charge" or what you see in Safari. Guess we should remove the iPhone cameras then, to stop people from taking the photos. Or maybe just get rid of iPhones altogether, since there's a possibility that the user will store child pornography in the camera roll. We can't completely ban everything just because there's the potential that someone could misuse it - we can, however, hold services directly responsible for their hosted content. If Safari was a service that could be used, that would be different. If iCloud was a public gallery that hosted public content, that would be different.

Apple took steps to hold a company accountable for the content that they are directly hosting and their refusal to remove said content. I saw someone underage on Tumblr just last week, and despite blocking the account my reporting of it was met with silence. While Tumblr can't/shouldn't be held responsible for the upload, they should be held responsible for the removal. This move should be applauded, not met with criticism.

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

The ignorant folks calling for banning Safari don't seem to understand the terms of the App Store in any way shape or form.

 

[Rogifan]

Ban Safari. Safari can display a lot of things even worse than Tumblr.

Apple is responsible for the internet?

 

[Kabeyun]

What about web browsers?

Definitely not excusing their behaviour!! Just unsure about the logic.

We should remove safari too as you can find child pornography using that app!!

It makes perfect sense.

Safari’s behavior can be modified in its settings and by parental controls to screen X-rated content. Tumblr’s can’t.

 

[burgman]

What about web browsers?

Definitely not excusing their behaviour!! Just unsure about the logic.

I suggest you try searching for child porn images on any major browser and experience the difference. Hint it will change your life in a bad way. Tumbler blames a database, right.

 

[adamjackson]

There are millions of people using Tumblr the right way. There are millions more using it for porn. I'm surprised Tumblr lasted this long. Reddit clients could be next.

 

[FaustsHausUK]

Web browsers vs apps in a nut shell for you people conflating the two:

- When you are in a real-life Apple Store, they can set the rules you abide by as you are a guest on their property. They choose which products they sell.
- When you are outside of the store, Apple has no control over what you say or do, or what other stores sell.

The web is an open platform, Apple exerts no control over it. The app store is Apple’s store front. If you want to sell your products in their store, they dictate the terms.

It is not a contradiction for them to police their app store of this content but not the web.

 

[zorinlynx]

I am completely okay with Apple pulling the Tumblr app because of child porn. That content is reprehensible and everyone should be doing their part to fight it.

However I'm not happy with Tumblr's response; they've started taking down legal adult content as well in an attempt to appease Apple.

Tumblr should stick to removing illegal content and leave legal adult content alone.

 

[racerhomie]

What about web browsers?

Definitely not excusing their behaviour!! Just unsure about the logic.

The App Store is curated by Apple, according to their standards. The web is the Wild West. If you want you can disable safari on your child’s device.

 

[justincalif]

We should remove safari too as you can find child pornography using that app!!

Well then, add Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Opera and every OTHER browsing tool in ANY app to that list... for that matter, just put your kid in a bubble and don't let them interact with anyone... for that matter... consider doing this to yourself as well... watch out for the trap door in that soapbox you are standing on!

 

[racerhomie]

We should remove safari too as you can find child pornography using that app!!

If you are a parent ,or a person who wants to be a bit safer you can disable safari from Screen Time Settings.
[doublepost=1542725655][/doublepost]

Ban Safari. Safari can display a lot of things even worse than Tumblr.

You can disable safari for your kids, if you want to.

 

[Ebok]

Scums of the Earth. There are porn all over internet and they have to watch underage.. Jeezz...

It’s a mental illness. We should be raising awareness and trying to get these ppl help, IMO.

 

[zaphon]

I'm not sure "Filter Out" is the right language to use right there. How about REMOVE IT! The way I understand it Tumblr's solution to this problem is to remove it from SEARCH. This makes me FACEPALM.

 

[Henry.jordison]

Twitter is literally the same as tumblr... soni’m EXPECTING Twitter to be removed as well

 

[rhett7660]

Safari’s behavior can be modified in its settings and by parental controls to screen X-rated content. Tumblr’s can’t.

Actually tumblr can, you go under the setting and you can filter out items, just like you can no longer search hashtags that are considered sexual in nature. You can see those you already subscribe to, but you can't search for new ones, even with the safe browsing turned off.

I am speaking of the tumblr app, but you can also go to the tumblr website and do the same thing as far as filtering etc with safe search enabled.

 

[ChromeAce]

Why didn’t the FBI simply seize Tumblr servers and arrest the owners? That’s what they did to computer bulletin boards in the 1990s.

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

The open web and a private network like Tumblr are two entirely different things. It would seem that many here are more concerned with the open internet than the fact that a private network is allowing child porn to be posted on their service. Says a lot about the values of those folks that they choose to focus the blame on a place which nobody controls, rather than the fact that a controllable private company is allowing the hosting of child porn on their service and not acting to remove it in many cases even when made aware.

 

[Radio Signal]

I'm dismayed to see the number of people on this board who fail to comprehend the world wide web in 2018. I know my parents don't get it- but they use Windows!

 

[LoveToMacRumors]

This is fked up

 

[dk001]

This content is disgusting and actually makes the logic fail. But it's simple.

An example would be a parent, you can block apps based on content or can block built-in apps. Having rogue content like in this Tumblr situation makes the parental controls moot.

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201304

I can make all "courage" jokes I want want, but the fact Google, who will know about this content too but has chosen to leave the app up on their store says it all. At first glance Apple looks like the bad guy here for removing the app. But for me it's the right move.

Why? This means you are asking the app developers to play cop. If that is the case, this should apply to every app and browser view that could facilitate this. Instead they are focusing on one or two.

I agree with the sentiment but fail to see the logic.

 

[pweicks]

What about web browsers?

Definitely not excusing their behaviour!! Just unsure about the logic.

That’s because Apple knows they’d lose a lot of customers if they blocked porn on safari.

 

[zaphon]

Why? This means you are asking the app developers to play cop. If that is the case, this should apply to every app and browser view that could facilitate this. Instead they are focusing on one or two.

I agree with the sentiment but fail to see the logic.

No they're asking the Company to be responsible for the content that's hosted on their web site. Just like Google is responsible for content hosted on Youtube, etc. This is not a power play to remove internet freedom like you're making it seem to be. I actually question all of those you screaming from the roofs about this, why are you defending child porn so strongly?

 

[dk001]

No they're asking the Company to be responsible for the content that's hosted on their web site. Just like Google is responsible for content hosted on Youtube, etc. This is not a power play to remove internet freedom like you're making it seem to be. I actually question all of those you screaming from the roofs about this, why are you defending child porn so strongly?

I hear what you are saying but you ignored the basis of my post. Why just Tumblr? Anyone could utilize any app (social) or SMS/MMS to spread or make available this type of content. We are not defending this by any reason. We are asking about the limited scope.

 

[rafark]

I am waiting the day Apple removes Facebook from the App store.

You're waiting for the day the iPhone stops selling?

 

[jsmith189]

Why? This means you are asking the app developers to play cop. If that is the case, this should apply to every app and browser view that could facilitate this. Instead they are focusing on one or two.

I agree with the sentiment but fail to see the logic.

It's not about the app developers, because it's not related to the development of the app. It's about the content that streams inside of the app, both of which are exclusively owned by the same company. We're asking the people that moderate the Tumblr content that is pushed to all of their services, including the app that is freely available on the App Store, which is the only medium that Apple DOES have control over and hence has taken action, to actually moderate their exclusive content.

Why just Tumblr?

Name some other apps? Not apps that "spread", because that would literally be every single app that has the ability to send a file. But I'm asking for apps that exclusively host their own freely available and publicly accessible (illegally) pornographic material.