Google to Shut Down Adult Blogger Sites

Google to Shut Down Adult Blogger Sites Posted: 08 Jul 2013 04:00 AM PDT It looks like Google is doing some spring cleaning, although we’re in a totally different season now. Round about the time that people were gearing up to say their last goodbye to Google Reader, some bloggers using Blogger received an email to the effect that Google is going to shut down adult blogger sites. To be more specific, Google is targeting Blogger accounts that have links and advertising to sites that host adult content. If you’re thinking about Blogger’s content policy, you may have a point. The fact is that Blogger does not totally disallow adult content. In fact, the content policy allows adult content – nudity, sexual content, and all sorts of NSFW content – as long as the blog is labeled and categorized as such. That should serve as enough “warning” for people who may not want to see such things on the Internet. (No mean feat, judging by the state of the Interwebz.) What Google is targeting now are Blogger sites that monetize using adult content. Who was that who said that money is the root of all evil or something? Twitter user @violetblue shared the email she received. Without any equivocation – it’s the monetization of adult content that Google wants to stop. Naturally, this news was received with some dismay by some groups. For one, it is not totally clear what “adult content” means. There is no clear cut definition of that, and if your content is somewhere in between mildly NSFW and pornographic, you probably wouldn’t know where you stand. Additionally, blogs which may contain adult content – whatever Google’s definition of that is – but do not monetize via links and other ads (adult-themed as well) may also be in danger. If you’re still not sure, but your blog is still up and running, you may have been saved from the axe. The email clearly states June 30 as the deadline, but I wouldn’t be too cocky if I were you. I have a feeling this is not over yet.