Twitter’s Vine App Turn Vile As Pornographic Clips Show Up

Since Twitter’s video capture application Vine was released for iPhone last week, plenty of users have been looking for interesting ways to utilise its six-second clip taking. There are some clever short animations, skilled cutting sequences and more. Oh, and of course there’s porn. Lot’s of it.

As with Twitter, Vine users can tag their clips with hashtags, and it doesn’t take much searching to find “#sex” and “#porn” well populated with the sort of content that wouldn’t be appropriate for younger Viners. Apple, for instance, rates the Vine app as suitable for those aged 12 or over, calling it out for infrequent or mild suggestive themes, nudity, or sexual content, though that description is at odds with the hardcore pornography readily available today.

In response, Twitter has said it has a two-stage complaints system which relies on users to initially report anything they deem inappropriate. Questionable content such as ”nudity, violence, or medical procedures” can be flagged within the app or on the website, the social company told Business Insider, at which point any future viewings will be preceded by a warning message.

However, that flag will also trigger a review by the Vine team itself, which will decide whether or not the content should be left in place or removed. Vine users can also have their accounts terminated, Twitter points out, if the material does not meet with the terms of service.

This may be enough for some, but Apple may take a tougher stance. Apple has a strict policy on applications that allow access to graphic sexual content, having removed picture app 500px for allowing users to see pornographic images in a similar way to Vine.

It will certainly be interesting to see what the Cupertino company will do about it. And, if it decides to remove the app, how Twitter will respond.

Via: businessinsider.com