X, formerly Twitter, now officially allows users to post so-called adult content provided it is labeled as such. The policy update, effected over the weekend, covers all sexually themed material, including AI-generated pornography and hentai, a type of Japanese sexualized anime.
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Adult content already constituted an estimated 13% of posts on X. The figure may have risen sharply with the spike in porn bots last year. However, the material was neither explicitly allowed nor disallowed before the policy update.
X Says Porn Is ‘Legitimate Artistic Expression’
Adopted as part of Elon Musk’s wide-ranging changes to the platform he acquired in 2022, the new policy is an assertive memo. It upholds users’ right to create, distribute, and consume sexually themed material as long as it is consensually produced and distributed.
“Sexual expression, whether visual or written, can be a legitimate form of artistic expression,” X wrote in its new guidelines, adding:
“We believe in the autonomy of adults to engage with and create content that reflects their own beliefs, desires, and experiences, including those related to sexuality.”
The social media platform describes adult content as “any consensually produced and distributed material depicting adult nudity or sexual behavior that is pornographic or intended to cause sexual arousal.” This also applies to AI-generated pornographic or animated content like cartoons, hentai, or anime, it says.
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The company asked porn content creators to make changes to their media settings. The change places images and videos behind a content warning without which their media cannot be viewed. Creators “can also add a one-time content warning on individual posts.”
“If you continue to fail to mark your posts, we will adjust your account settings for you,” X warned.
According to the company, content warnings will allow the site to hide NSFW posts from children and those who do not include their birth dates. Adults who want to opt out of seeing sexual content on their feeds can set their preferences.
X said porn content promoting “exploitation, nonconsent, objectification, sexualization or harm to minors, and obscene behaviors” is not allowed. Users may also not post similar content in prominent places like profile photos or banners.
Musk Departs From ‘Brand Safe’ Rivals
X’s policy update marks a departure from the explicit prohibition of adult content maintained by competing mainstream platforms such as Meta’s Instagram and Facebook, and Google’s YouTube.
“The platform’s move to allow ‘adult content’ dovetails well with the company’s post-Musk marketing strategy,” Brooke Erin Duffy, an associate professor of communication at Cornell University, told AP. Duffy added:
“X is unapologetically provocative and has sought to distinguish itself from ‘brand safe’ competitors.”
Duffy believes X is courting people, including creators and artists, who are not allowed to post or view sexual material. The firm has also been hosting forums for sex workers and may be looking to earn revenue from regular NSFW profiles.
Meanwhile, it is not clear whether the policy update amounts to a policing waiver for porn bots which have been on the prowl lately. NSFW spam bots have been driving artificial engagement on X, undermining Musk’s promise to control bots when he took over the platform.
Cryptopolitan reporting by Jeffrey Gogo
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