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NSFW Guidelines (Updated 2/17/17)

Last posted Nov 09, 2022 at 06:09AM EST. Added Nov 27, 2012 at 12:52PM EST
234 posts from 83 users

NC (not cool) content

Images, Videos, Forum Posts and Comments that should be removed from the site:

  • Almost any form of pornography or nudity, photographed or illustrated, even if it is cropped or censored, in a sexual or porny nature.
  • Borderline NC content that may be considered explicitly sensual or provocative in nature (example) or features a bodypaint-like clothing style (example) or tactical censoring.
  • Strong illustrated gore: Violent gore and shock images, censored or uncensored, real-life or fiction (example).
  • Unwarranted obscenity (racist, sexist, transphobic or homophobic content) (ex: posting “blackface” image in MLP photo).
  • Sexually suggestive images of characters or people who appear underaged.

HOWEVER, in the extreme case where it is absolutely necessary for documentation (ie: Daily Dose/Piccolo Dick), please contact an admin or moderator with the photo and we can decide the correct course of action. Please do not upload a NC-rated image without admin or moderator consultation. Censored versions of these images needed for documentation should be used if available.

*Clarification: Fur on creatures that normally have fur counts as clothing. Thus, a furry not wearing clothes is not NC unless genitalia, anuses, and/or female nipples are visible, or the subject is clearly sexualized.


NSFW (not safe for work) content

Images containing partial or censored nudity or miscellaneous shock content. Content that falls within these areas needs to be properly tagged in order for it to be allowed.

Examples of NSFW that is allowed:

  • Censored nudity explicitly relevant to entry subject (example / example #2)
  • Sufficiently obscured bulges not in a sensual context (example, example #2)
  • Sexually explicit language, gestures, expressions (example / example #2)
  • Mild illustrated gore (example)
  • Racist, sexist or homophobic content only if it is essential
  • Fetish, gross or shock imageries that aren’t porny, violent or gory (example)

When it comes to nudity, images are OK as long as it's something that can be seen on a Major Network Daytime TV or in PG-16 / Mature Games. Images that include bathing suits, side boob, cleavage, but would still be seen on major network TV channels are ok and just need a NSFW tag. This still means no genitals and no sexual activities.


Exemptions:

These are images that, while NSFW in nature, are fine to upload without the tag. Regardless, it is adviced to maintain a mindset of rather safe than sorry; tag it NSFW when in doubt.

  • Both modern and classical art containing nudity and mild gore are allowed without a NSFW tag.
  • Classical art containing sexual activities or strong gore is okay, if it is tagged NSFW.
  • Modern art containing nudity or illustrated gore is okay, as long as it is tagged NSFW.
  • Milder examples for entries that are NSFW in nature (ex: Senran Kagura, Cat Keyhole Bra) or when the gallery itself is already marked NSFW (ex: Hentai Quotes) are fine to upload without a NSFW tag within their respective entries, but require the tag outside of it. Also if an image is more obscene, sexual, or violent than normal given the entry topic, it should still have a NSFW tag.
  • NC content taken out of context and/or edited to a point where its initial sexual content is no longer clearly visible (ex: Work-Safe or Subway Sandwich Porn).

The spirit of the law takes priority over the letter of the law. Finding loopholes in the wording when it’s known what is meant won’t be tolerated, and it won’t help you if you technically didn’t break any rules when it’s clear that what you posted should be against them.

In some cases, uploading NC content may be allowed if it entirely misses the reason the rule is there – for example, cropped porn images which are taken so wildly out of context and edited to the point where they are far more humorous than anything else.


Procedure:

Media Moderators can mark individual images as NSFW, and Entry Moderators have the ability to mark entire entry galleries as NSFW. When a gallery is marked NSFW, there will be no images and instead some text explaining that the gallery is considered NSFW and a button to view the gallery. The actual gallery page itself would remain the same and images would still need to be marked as NSFW individually when necessary.

- In cases where it applies to a select few images in a gallery, mark individually
- In cases where it applies to the majority in a gallery, an admin will mark gallery as NSFW
- In special cases, display ads will be removed from NSFW galleries & images.


Arbitration:

Should a disagreement arise over NSFW marking of an image, it will be settled by the Know Your Meme Editor and Cheezburger's Community Manager.


Contact:

Any questions can be directed here or to another admin or moderator via PM/email.

Last edited Dec 05, 2017 at 09:57PM EST

Crimson Locks wrote:

I have a question: Is there any difference between what goes behind the blue NSFW thumbnail and what goes behind the red?

Sure isn't.

I think there might be plans in the works to make them mean something, but as of now, they mean nothing.

RandomMan wrote:

Allow me to demonstrate.

My reaction to the joke:

Don't every change

@amanda b.
I think these are great guidelines which have been created and taken into effect. I hope they serve this site and does not decrease its quality of content.
If we had any quality content to begin with
Last edited Nov 28, 2012 at 04:21PM EST

Crimson Locks wrote:

I have a question: Is there any difference between what goes behind the blue NSFW thumbnail and what goes behind the red?

blue = even image numbers

red = odd image numbers

Evan Hechenbach wrote:

#uselessposting

Surely I can’t be the only user here whose curiosity isn’t piqued whenever I see an image labeled with a NSFW tag. So I click on them every time.

Some people don't like to see porn stare them in the face whenever they look at a certain gallery. Tagging helps prevent weird feelings, so it's definitely not "useless."

Fridge wrote:

Some people don't like to see porn stare them in the face whenever they look at a certain gallery. Tagging helps prevent weird feelings, so it's definitely not "useless."

I believe you may have misunderstood. I was saying that my bump was essentially to state a popular opinion, and thus ineffectual. You know…pleasantry.

Also, I’m saving that image. Thank you.

Absolute Absurdity wrote:

Does kissing count?

From what we've discussed and from what I read, kissing on the lips isn't X-rated.

An open mouth kiss probably wouldn't be NSFW, but if there are saliva trails coming from the tongues and lips with a lot of "hot and heavy" groping, then I'd say that's NSFW. NSFW is defined here as something that shouldn't be viewed openly.

I would not think that a cute picture of kissing is NSFW, but I read a heated makeout session as being NSFW. Neither would be X-rated by itself.

This post has been hidden due to low karma.
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unwarranted obscenity (racist, sexist, or homophobic content) (ex: posting “blackface” image in MLP photo)

Last edited Mar 10, 2013 at 05:35AM EDT

Ooh! Speaking of Bump Girl, I noticed that there was a lot of hardcore pornography within the gallery. Like, at least a dozen photos. I can get why the Daily Dose page has the thing in the gallery, since it's what started the whole shebang, but do we really need to have bucketloads of images of anthropomorphized internet posts fucking on this site? Not that there's anything intrinsically wrong with that…

Last edited Mar 20, 2013 at 12:27AM EDT

amanda b. wrote:

The entries are already marked NSFW though

I think he's saying that the gallery should be marked NSFW instead of almost every gosh-darned picture in the gallery. Like I said, there are some images in there that need the tag regardless (presuming we're keeping the hardcore porn), but most of them are sorta SFW.

Why is blackface not allowed? Is anyone really taking this seriously nowdays?

By the way, should NSFW be tested in real environment to see which images will cause you more trouble when viewing them at work compared to other images?

Last edited Jun 06, 2013 at 08:14AM EDT

Evilthing wrote:

Why is blackface not allowed? Is anyone really taking this seriously nowdays?

By the way, should NSFW be tested in real environment to see which images will cause you more trouble when viewing them at work compared to other images?

Certainly. Admittedly, most people in Web Culture would shrug off blackface. But I believe that KYM appeals to more than people who are in "Web Culture" (not to forget to mention that "Web Culture" is expanding and mixing in with other cultures that aren't necessarily known for being involved with the World Wide Web but have a presence online anyway.)

With that in mind, most people would be offended by a blackface image unless it was crucial to proper documentation. That's why you don't see blackface on US television, even as a joke. It's quite touchy.
 
As for testing it in a real environment, you'd first have to get a representative sample of all people online (or at least a representative sample of those who visit KYM, but that's not looking towards the future of the site.) And then you'd have to have someone (likely KYM staff or Cheezburger) to run the survey. KYM staff doesn't have time for it, and Cheezburger probably sent down the rules themselves based on their own judgement (it's my guess that no Cheezburger site allows blackface in their rules.)
 
And then on a personal opinion level, if I saw a person chuckling at a blackface image at work, then I'd make a mental note of who that person was, at the very least. : ) For my own well-being.

Last edited Jun 06, 2013 at 12:01PM EDT

Where was the thread about an option to disable NSFW thumbnails so if you'll have at least some warning before the image is revealed at full size?

Last edited Jun 06, 2013 at 12:43PM EDT

Evilthing wrote:

Where was the thread about an option to disable NSFW thumbnails so if you'll have at least some warning before the image is revealed at full size?

I'm not sure if I understand the question:

  • "Is there a thread suggesting NSFW thumbnails be disabled?"
  • Or "Is there a thread suggesting that NSFW thumbnails be expanded so you'll have to confirm that you want to see the image?" (From what I understand, if you hit "Next" or "Previous" while browsing an image gallery, then you don't get any warning about the next or previous image being NSFW, and the buttons don't skip images.)

As the sentence reads, it sounds like one part would contradict the other…

Evilthing wrote:

I meant option to disable NSFW thumbnails or an option so they're removed after hovering over thumbnail.

I would probably take that to the NSFW Image Uploading thread.

Currently, it's featured, so it won't be locked, and some conversation about that suggestion (i.e., being able to disable the NSFW thumbnails) had been going on before it went inactive.
 
I think it's a good idea to make an toggled option so that users can never see NSFW content, see it as is (i.e., see the NSFW thumbnail in a stream or gallery, but only after clicking on the thumbnail), or to simply turn off the spoiler thumbnail altogether. That would require work from James, but I think it's a fine suggestion.

I actually know a number of galleries that contain like all these porn images that the mods haven't really seen yet (They're not NSFW tagged so the preview image is there) so like if we had some way of deleting them (or if there is one, I'd like to know)

Sweatie Killer wrote:

Does Hitler count? Because Hitler is pretty cool guy you know.

He singlehandedly killed one of the worst dictators in human history. Hitler was an hero.

Spirit Coyote wrote:

I actually know a number of galleries that contain like all these porn images that the mods haven't really seen yet (They're not NSFW tagged so the preview image is there) so like if we had some way of deleting them (or if there is one, I'd like to know)

Being a Scrapbooker, you should have the ability to add the NSFW spoiler yourself.

If it's like actual porn that warrants deletion, either shoot one of us a PM or make a post in the Image Cleaning thread. Whatever works best for you.

I would respectfully like to make a suggestion regarding NSFW tiles. I think we should install a button that allows users to set NSFW tiles to off. I’ve been on the internet long enough to not be bothered by anything a safe for work site can throw at me, I can’t suppress my curiosity to look at them, and I find it frustrating that i need to wait for each individual image to load before I can see them. When I look at the gallery in an open view, it's only after something catches my eye that I choose to open an image and wait for it to load so that i can upvote/downvote and comment. That extra time of opening the mystery image and waiting for it to load can be very irritating to me, especially when my internet is lagging. This is why I would like to suggest a button to turn off NSFW tiles, similar to the "Show fewer ponies" button. I would love to hear what other people think of this, and any suggestions and/or critiques will be appreciated.

Last edited Dec 19, 2013 at 06:57PM EST

Verbose wrote:

Sure isn't.

I think there might be plans in the works to make them mean something, but as of now, they mean nothing.

Heads up: Blue is now used for Spoilers and Red for NSFW.

There's also a special combined spoiler, but that one is easy to differentiate from the rest.

Just because I want to be 100% clear, and because I didn't see it explicitly stated it in the thread: What is the ruling about female nipples that are "covered" but are functionally as visible/nearly so as they would be without clothing? Does this vary if the image as a whole is obviously meant as fanservice, compared to when it's present but the image isn't inherently meant as fanservice or is barely noticeable?

I know that when it is important for documentation certain things an be kinda iffy, but this is more for subjective galleries with +1,000 images. In some conversations I've had with mods in the past, there has been slightly differences of opinions on it. Either way, I know it should generally have at least a NSFW tag, but at what point does is it needing removal?

Last edited Jun 07, 2014 at 05:29PM EDT

I came here to double-check the rules (since I accidentally violated one of them), and see I was honored with having one of my submitted images as an example!

Of course, said example involves a giant censored dick being pulled by another man, so I don't know if this says something about my participation in the community in a cosmic sense.

Tchefuncte Bonaparte wrote:

What are the rules about highly explicit text?

Most stuff would be fine under an NSFW tag as long as it doesn't break any rules under NC that could apply to text.

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