mb ♥️Apr 13, 2021

Apple’s regressive stance on sexual content being available on its largest platform is verging on a full on moral panic and it’s really gross. Entire businesses and communities have been crushed by it, and it often hurts queer and trans communities most.

https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/13/22381728/discord-nsfw-servers-blocked-ios-age-gate-restrictions

Discord will block NSFW servers on iOS

Servers have to be labeled if they’re focused on "NSFW themes."

Show threadmb ♥️
When we dealt with this at Tumblr, it became my full time jobs for weeks to find incredibly complex ways to appease Apple’s censors. This happened every time they found a sexy blog they didn’t like. It’s absurd.
Apr 13, 2021 at 3:40pmMastodon Twitter Crossposter
Show threadmb ♥️Apr 13, 2021

And no, I’m not filing a radar about this. But if you’re a pal of mine and you work at Apple, I hope you’ll do everything in your power to change minds on this issue internally.

Sex is not a bad thing and adults should be able to access legal conversations and media about it.

Show threadmb ♥️Apr 13, 2021

Of course at the same time that Apple is pressuring companies to pull down sexual content they don’t like, they’re also directly profiting from subscription audio erotica apps like @[email protected].

It wouldn’t be a story about the App Store without capitalism and hypocrisy.

Show threadmb ♥️Apr 13, 2021

More great coverage of this issue from @[email protected] at @[email protected] including a quote from yours truly.

https://www.dailydot.com/irl/discord-nsfw-ban-ios/

Discord bans NSFW server access on iOS, sparking Apple criticism

Discord has implemented an NSFW ban on 18+ servers on iOS, shocking users who primarily rely on the app for adult content.

The Daily Dot
Show threadmb ♥️Apr 13, 2021
Will is right here. It trivial problem to solve technically, but Apple’s objections are moralistic and they are completely uninterested in technical solutions that protect freedom of expression for adults on iOS. They couch this in the idea of “safety”, but safety for whom? https://twitter.com/willsmith/status/1382053138178330624
Will Smith on Twitter

“@mb This should be a solveable problem. If the device has parental controls active, there should be an API that lets the app know "hey, don't show stuff to accounts that have this level of content locked"”

Twitter
Show threadmb ♥️Apr 13, 2021

“As long as the systems that currently underpin platforms remain in place, they’re going to cater to more powerful platforms and business interests first—and users long after. Companies like Apple hold all the cards. Everyone else plays by their rules.”

https://kotaku.com/discord-blocks-all-ios-users-from-accessing-nsfw-server-1846673801

Discord Blocks All iOS Users From Accessing NSFW Servers

If an iPhone is your main window into Discord’s cacophonous void of yelling gamers, your options just got a lot more limited.

Show threadmb ♥️Apr 14, 2021
For just some of the reasons why this ends up harming queer communities, see eevee’s thread: https://twitter.com/eevee/status/1382132383181197317
eevee on Twitter

“thinking about "cracking down on adult content harms queer communities the most" there's rarely an explanation attached, and if there is, it's something that sounds like it could be solved, like that transition discussion or the word "lesbian" are mislabeled as porn well,”

Twitter
Show threadmb ♥️Apr 14, 2021
For more on that topic, see this piece from @[email protected] https://www.dailydot.com/irl/tumblr-nsfw-ban-queer-adult-artists/
Tumblr's NSFW purge is scattering the queer adult artist community across the internet

Trans and queer users miss their affirming home.

The Daily Dot
Show threadmb ♥️Apr 19, 2021

📢 800,000+ people saw this thread.

Discord & Apple have changed their minds about blocking NSFW servers on iOS.

Is this ideal? No. But it’s parity with other apps on the App Store, & I’ll absolutely take the win.

Thank you for making yourself heard. Public pressure works. https://twitter.com/eevee/status/1383253333683490822

eevee on Twitter

“discord NSFW update: - minors can't join nsfw servers at all - you can opt in to seeing nsfw servers on ios, from desktop/web - a small ill-defined set of "explicitly pornographic" servers will still be disallowed https://t.co/KGuNApBv5j”

Twitter
Show threadmb ♥️Apr 19, 2021
How this changed happened? https://twitter.com/eevee/status/1384051426628816898
eevee on Twitter

“through the grapevine: - this happened specifically because of the PR backlash against apple - apple asked for "egregious" porn to stay blocked, e.g. pornhub's server, which discord is taking to mean /very large/ and explicitly about porn (so, unlikely to hit queer spaces)”

Twitter
Show threadDag Ågren ↙︎↙︎↙︎Apr 13, 2021

@matthewbischoff I don't think 1.1.4 applies here, but instead 1.2:

"If your app includes user-generated content from a web-based service, it may display incidental mature “NSFW” content, provided that the content is hidden by default and only displayed when the user turns it on via your website."

Show threadJesseApr 16, 2021

@matthewbischoff Big Tech and those with absolute power have a big investment in telling people how to live and think.

They don't want a planet of people capable of critical thinking, they want a planet full of obedient, mindless zombies that are able to do the minimalist work, accept that work and to die off slowly by extremely murky working and living conditions (i.e. fast food, energy drinks, addictions, medicine).