FRUSTRATED by the rampant dissemination of pornographic materials on the X platform, a growing number of users have launched a social media campaign urging the Chief Executive Officer of X, Elon Musk to take action to curb the spread of adult content on the platform.
The ICIR observed that the users trended the term “Ban Pornography on X” yesterday – February 24 – to pressure Musk into addressing the issue and implementing stricter measures to prevent the promotion of pornographic content.
Despite X’s policies explicitly prohibiting the sharing of unsolicited pornographic content, the platform has become a hub for the organised distribution of explicit material.
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The promoters of these contents utilise various tactics, including posting ads disguised as regular content to redirect users to pornographic websites and X accounts.
They also use influencers such as this account and this account who both have 1 million followers to promote pornography on the platform.
X’s sensitive media policy prohibits sharing adult nudity and sexual behavior, which it defines as media “that is pornographic or intended to cause sexual arousal.”
The policy applies to full or partial nudity, simulated sex acts and sexual acts depicted by “cartoons, hentai, or anime involving humans or depictions of animals with human-like features.”
The guideline discouraged dissemination of unsolicited images or videos that contain Graphic Content, Adult Nudity, and Sexual Behaviour.
The policy however provides that disseminators of these contents should flag their accounts or media containing nudity as sensitive.
“Using this feature means that people who don’t want to see sensitive media can avoid it, or make an informed decision before they choose to view it,” the policy reads. However, some of the disseminators of these content do not adhere by the guidelines.
While X has attempted to enforce its guidelines through community notes and sensitive media flags, the lax enforcement has allowed the proliferation of adult content on the platform.
One of the users at the frontline of the campaign, @FirstDoctor noted that dissemination of adult content on the platform without restriction may expose underage users to porn asking Musk ban the practice to reduce the negative societal attitudes towards sex and relationships.
“Ban porn on X to shield underage users.
Ban porn on X to protect the community.
Ban porn on X to encourage healthier online interactions.
Ban porn on X to reduce the negative societal attitudes towards sex and relationships.
“Now you can’t even read comments on posts without stumbling upon explicit content even when you have turned off the “Display media that may contain sensitive content” button off. This is getting totally out of hands,” he lamented.
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via [email protected] and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.