Stop Calling it Porn! Flickr's new campaign tackles photography censorship

Flickr Stop Calling it Porn

In an effort to de-stigmatize images that might otherwise be considered risqué or lewd, Flickr is taking the approach to allow its users to upload content under moderate and restricted categories that other platforms have banned.

Uploading even the most subtle of boudoir images can have its risks on social platforms, particularly Instagram, with photographers and content creators facing fears of deletion and banned accounts when doing so.

Almost every online photography community has measures in place to protect users from seeing content that could be derived as harmful, offensive, inappropriate or not safe for work (NSFW). While safeguarding content online is an extremely important thing, sometimes harmless images of subjects showing a bit too much shoulder can result in the photographer and subject alike being cautioned or banned from social platforms.

This appears to happen most frequently on Instagram and Tiktok, with creators having their content removed and accounts taken down over what an algorithm deems as a conflict of terms. In the photographic community, boudoir images and those of a more taboo nature are often regarded not as being vulgar, but as a form of fine art. Tasteful nude images have been accepted in society and famous paintings for thousands of years, so why not on social media?

Female bodies in particular are often more subject to shame, with Instagram users having to blur out their nipples to ensure that content remains on the platform – sparking movements such as 'Free the Nipple' whereby the absurdity is highlighted that male nipples are considered appropriate (both in public and on social platforms) whereas female nipples are not. This alone is a huge issue, and a campaign that many celebrities have gotten involved with, but that's a separate article.

Content considered to be moderate or restricted per Flickr’s community guidelines is now exclusively part of its Pro membership features, and the company has chosen the specific terms 'moderate' and 'restricted' to separate the art from other ambiguous, negative, and catchall terms. It reassures that Flickr's millions of users and communities will be safer and more inclusive, no matter what their focus is.

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A staff writer for Digital Camera World, Beth has an extensive background in various elements of technology with five years of experience working as a tester and sales assistant for CeX. After completing a degree in Music Journalism, followed by obtaining a Master's degree in Photography awarded by the University of Brighton, she spends her time outside of DCW as a freelance photographer specialising in live music events and band press shots under the alias 'bethshootsbands'.

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