NEW YORK – Tumblr was removed from Apple's App Store earlier this month after content featuring sexual exploitation and abuse made it through filters and onto the platform.
The app was removed Nov. 16, but the company didn't release a statement regarding why it was removed until Nov. 19.
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According to the statement, an audit found content on Tumblr that had not yet been added to a database of known child sexual abuse material. Every image, before going onto the platform, goes through that database.
The content that made it through the filters was removed, according to the company. It said they are working to make sure abusive material does to make it onto the website.
Tumblr officials released the statement on its website:
"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. 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."
At this time, the app is still available on the Google Play store for Android users.
Tumblr officials said they are working to get the app back on the iOS App Store.