Microblogging and social networking platform Tumblr says that a routine audit discovered some content on the platform that had not yet been included in the industry database.
It is a well-known fact that Apple is strict when it comes to the apps that violate its App Store policies. It removes such apps and doesn’t even host apps that do not go by its guidelines. Apple recently removed the Tumblr app from its platform as it was seen hosting child pornography in one instance. Tumblr says that the incident was accidental but it was enough for the iPhone-maker to remove the microblogging and social networking platform's app from the App Store.
The Tumblr app has been missing from Apple's App Store since November 16 but the reason for this was unclear. Initially Tumblr said that it was “working to resolve the issue with the iOS app”, but later Download.com contacted Tumblr, citing sources, that the reason was related to the discovery of child pornography on the service. The Yahoo-owned social media network confirmed the reason and blamed the industry database for the slip-up.
“Every image uploaded to Tumblr is scanned against an industry database of known child sexual abuse material, and images that are detected never reach the platform. A routine audit discovered content on our platform that had not yet been included in the industry database. We immediately removed this content. Content safeguards are a challenging aspect of operating scaled platforms. We’re continuously assessing further steps we can take to improve and there is no higher priority for our team,” Tumblr said in a statement.
“We’re committed to helping build a safe online environment for all users, and we have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to media featuring child sexual exploitation and abuse. As this is an industry-wide problem, we work collaboratively with our industry peers and partners like NCMEC to actively monitor content uploaded to the platform,” the statement added. This isn't the first time that Tumblr has been made inaccessible from this type of problem. In March 2018, the government of Indonesia briefly blocked Tumblr after the company failed to remove pornographic content from its service.
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