Tumblr gets new owner who plans to keep NSFW ban

It looks like Verizon has finally found a buyer for Tumblr and sadly, despite the rumors, it looks like it won’t be Pornhub.

According to reports, it looks like Tumblr is being sold to Automattic, the owner of WordPress.

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You may recall the backlash Tumblr faced after it announced that it would be banning all adult content from the site after it was removed from Apple’s app store following concerns that child pornography had made its way onto the platform.

Since then, the platform has seen a pretty drastic drop in traffic. Current owner Verizon has been seeking a buyer for a few months now, with Pornhub expressing interest in acquiring Tumblr back in May.

During an interview with BuzzFeed News, Pornhub Vice President Corey Price revealed that they were “extremely interested” in purchasing the platform.

This left Tumblr users hopeful that they would soon see the return of NSFW content.

“Tumblr was a safe haven for those who wanted to explore and express their sexuality, adult entertainment aficionados included,” Price told BuzzFeed News. “We’ve long been dismayed that such measures were taken to eradicate erotic communities on the platform, leaving many individuals without an asylum through which they could comfortably peruse adult content.”

While Pornhub is officially out of the running, many wondered if Automattic would allow NSFW content to return to the platform.

Unfortunately, it looks like that’s not going to happen.

Automattic’s Chief Executive Matt Mullenweg told the Wall Street Journal that he plans to maintain the ban.

In the three months following the company’s rollout of Safe Mode, Tumblr saw a drop of 150 million visits.

From December 2018 to February 2019, traffic fell from 521 million visits to 369 million visits, according to SimilarWeb. This is roughly a 30 percent decrease in visits.

The decrease in traffic is likely due to the ban, as many used the website for adult content. There have been many online petitions with hundreds of thousands of signatures asking for the company to reverse the policy.

Automattic is buying Tumblr from Verizon for an “undisclosed sum.”

Do you think Tumblr will still survive under Safe Mode? Sound off in the comments below!

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