Google backtracks on porn ban, allows explicit images on Blogger

Company said last week that people using blogging service to post sexual content would be shut down — but it has now changed its mind, banning only commercial porn

Google has reversed a decision to ban sexually explicit images and porn from its Blogger service, only a few days after saying that all such content would be banned.

The company announced on Tuesday that users of the blogging service had a month to remove all “sexually explicit or graphic nude images or video” from their sites, or that they would be made private and available only for administrators. But after sustained criticism of the decision, the company has reversed it, deciding instead that such site’s will just be placed behind a warning page.

Now, only commercial porn will be banned on the site.

Jessica Pelegio, social product support manager at Google, wrote on the company’s support forums: “We’ve had a ton of feedback, in particular about the introduction of a retroactive change (some people have had accounts for 10+ years), but also about the negative impact on individuals who post sexually explicit content to express their identities.

“So rather than implement this change, we’ve decided to step up enforcement around our existing policy prohibiting commercial porn.

“Blog owners should continue to mark any blogs containing sexually explicit content as “adult” so that they can be placed behind an “adult content” warning page.”