Google has warned users of its Blogger platform: “content which contains sexually explicit images and videos will be made private in one month. We will not delete the blogs, but they will no longer be publicly visible”, the tech giant says. The new rules require any blog with “sexually explicit or graphic nude images or video” to take them down by 23 March, or the blog will be made private by Google. A private blog can only be seen by the owner or admins of the blog, and people who the owner has shared the blog with.
Under the aspect of new updates, adult material will be allowed on Blogger blogs only if it “offers a substantial public benefit, for example in artistic, educational, documentary, or scientific contexts”.
Activist Lauren Weinstein wrote: “I find it disrespectful to users for Google to announce apparently with only 30 days notice that they are summarily banning most explicit materials from Blogger. It is utterly within their rights to do so, but the lack of longer notice (absent specific legal constraints), and a total lack of any explanation in the announcement for this change (only perfunctory operational details), are extremely disappointing.
Google says it will still allow some forms of nudity on the service “if the content offers a substantial public benefit, for example in artistic, educational, documentary, or scientific contexts.”
Therefore, bloggers will be constrained to use the tag “adult” if their site contains adult material, which means a warning page will appear before the site can be accessed.
