X made changes to its rules, formally allowing users to post adult and graphic content on the platform. This move comes with a few conditions – the content must be consensually produced and prominently labeled as NSFW (Not Safe For Work).
The introduction of these new clauses over the weekend marks a shift in X’s stance on adult content. Previously, the platform neither explicitly allowed nor prohibited such content. Now, users can freely post adult content, including AI-generated videos and images, provided they adhere to the new guidelines.
X’s decision to formally host adult content follows its previous experiments with NSFW communities. The company believes in the autonomy of adults to engage with and create content that reflects their own beliefs, desires, and experiences, including those related to sexuality. However, X also emphasizes the importance of restricting exposure to adult content for children or adult users who choose not to see it.
Despite this change, X continues to disallow content that explicitly threatens or incites/glorifies violence. The platform’s violent content rules have similar guidelines, but the content should not be excessively gory or depict sexual violence.
The formal allowance of adult content could potentially enable X to build services around adult content, similar to OnlyFans. This could bolster its revenues, especially considering that about 13% of posts on the platform in 2022 contained adult content.
However, regulators will be closely monitoring X’s efforts to weed out non-consensual porn and child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The social network has previously faced fines and notifications from countries like Australia and India for failing to provide information about child abuse content and remove CSAM from their platforms.
Read more: techcrunch.com