Google will ban pornography from being shown publicly on its Blogger site.
In an announcement that was sent out to bloggers who use the company’s blogging website, Google said people will no longer be able to “publicly share images and video that are sexually explicit or show graphic nudity” on Blogger as of March 23.
Google said those Blogger sites that continue to host pornography after March 23 will be made “private.” That means the content will be allowed to remain up, but it will only be accessible to the site’s owner and the people who the user directly shared the blog with.
Google noted that it isn’t completely banning nudity from being shown publicly on Blogger. The site will allow nudity “if the content offers a substantial public benefit, for example in artistic, educational, documentary, or scientific contexts.” But it also puts Google in the position of deciding what is art and what is pornography — a decision that Instagram and other sites have struggled with.
Blogger previously allowed adult content on its sites, but it required users to mark their blogs as “adult.” Those Blogger sites came with an “adult content” warning that would appear before a visitor could enter the site.
It’s unclear how many sites will be affected by the new rules. Google did not respond to a request for comment.
The announcement is part of a larger campaign by Google to cut down on the amount of porn served by its network.
In July, Google stopped porn from appearing in its online ads. And in 2013, Google decided to remove blogs from its Blogger network that contained advertisements for online porn sites.
