Flickr will allow NSFW images to be uploaded behind a paywall
With many social media platforms increasingly cracking down on images deemed to be risqué or lewd, image sharing platform Flickr has gone in a different direction, announcing it will allow paid users to upload certain content that other platforms would ban.
In an effort to draw in more paying subscribers, Flickr has confirmed it will change its content guidelines to only allow paid Flickr Pro users to post “restricted” or “moderate” content, which includes photos of “full-frontal nudity and sexual acts.”
“Photographers who craft and create work that might be considered risqué by some will have a safe place online to interact with one another, share mutual interests, and put their art into the world without the fear of it being removed or them being banned entirely from the communities they love,” Head of Flickr Alex Seville wrote in a blog post. “But we’ve been lax in truly defining a space for these photographers, until now.”
While almost every online photography community has measures in place to limit access to content that could be perceived as harmful, offensive, inappropriate or not safe for work (NSFW), the one-size-fits-all approach means many images that aren't harmful are often swept up by restrictions.
A good example are boudoir images, popular in the photographic community, and considered 'art' in others. Publishing these images on platforms like Instagram or TikTok runs the risk of censorship and in some cases, bans.
Flickr says the decision will help preserve the legacy of photography being created today.
“What was once taboo is now widely accepted. Many online platforms are currently banning and deleting content that will likely stop being controversial someday. We want to be proactive about the audiences we know we’ll be serving well into the future,” said CEO Don MacAskill.
The move is a particularly shrewed one from Flickr which, since being taken over by SmugMug in 2018, has increasingly looked at new revenue streams.
It means photographers who want to publish "moderate" or "restricted" content will require a Flickr Pro account, which starts at $5.99 a month or $72 annually, although this also comes along with the added benefit of unlimited photo uploads (free users are limited to only 1,000 uploads).
The company says that, unlike other photography platforms, Flickr chose the specific terms “moderate” and “restricted” in order to filter content accurately and to remove stigma from the actual content of the 'art'.
Ringfencing this type of content will also allow the platform to more closely monitor the type of material being uploaded, while building a community who appreciate it.
"By asking members with this type of content to subscribe to Flickr Pro, we can devote more resources to ensuring that their communities remain safe and well-regulated,” said MacAskill.