#automattic

post got vanquished before i could reblog it

the enshittification is all consuming and tumblr will likely use ai for this just as all of their moderation issues historically and recently have been aided by ai

this is my usual reminder that you can always go back

I have a number of asks about this, so this is to address all of them, I won't do each individually.

We generally do not comment on individual cases, but because there seems to be mass misinformation around this, I will make an exception and comment on predstrogen.

First, Tumblr has a number of LGBT+ including trans people on staff, and they see things from the inside fully, and they're not protesting this case.

Why do we wrongly have a transphobe reputation? We did have an external contract moderator last year that was making transphobic moderation (and also selling moderation, criminally). As soon as we were aware that person was fired, and we later terminated the entire relationship with that contracting firm and have brought almost everything in-house (at great cost). I have previously commented on this publicly, several times.

I am not aware of any Automattician (people who work at Automattic and Tumblr) who has made any transphobic moderation actions. If it's reported it is investigated immediately, if anything were found that person would be terminated for cause immediately.

Predstrogen's account was suspended for:

Repeated mis-tagging of adult content against Tumblr's community guidelines. This has nothing to do with clothed transition photos, she had 20+ other blogs and multiple accounts with names so explicit I can't post them here without a mature tag.

Multiple cases of harassment of other Tumblr users, not just me.

Multiple threats of violence, not just the one I share below.

These represent a breach of our Terms of Service, and we've exercised our right to refuse service.

Threats of violence are never okay. Threats of violence are not protected speech. We will work with police and FBI where appropriate, though to be clear prestrogen's case hasn't warranted that so far. I'm referring to what we may potentially do for other threats. I just got a death threat yesterday from someone mad about predstrogen, and that account was immediately terminated.

So regardless of whether you still think Tumblr staff is somehow a bunch of transphobes, know that threats of violence or death are still not acceptable and will result in immediate and serious action. Know that when you rile people up, they can do dumb things with possibly permanent consequences.

(2 hours later update: I have changed instances of the pronoun "they" or "their" to "the account" because I am unaware of pronoun preference in this instance and don't want to misgender anyone. Thank you for the people who reported this as an issue. Update 2: "She" is apparently better, the post now says that. Sorry for the mistake.)

Here's one (of many!) examples of the harassment violations, this one targets me but there are others targeting other users on the site.

The second part seems to indicate she wanted to be suspended, I'm unaware of why, perhaps to create this sort of uproar. I agree the hammers feel silly, but the start, "i hope photomatt dies forever a painful death" is a violation of Tumblr's community guidelines and terms of service.

The car part did hit close to home as I have almost died twice in car accidents.

the "threat of violence" in question:

Rita's name has been dragged in the mud and the literal CEO of tumblr decided to join in too.

please consider helping her out. she's a disabled sex worker just trying to get by and anything you give would go a long way.

“I remind myself that I have run this fast before. Self-doubt is a smoldering fire. In a workout, the embers often flash. I don't want to give them any air. Every action we take helps to build our habits. Quit once and it'll be easier to quit the second time too.” — Nicholas Thompson, The Running Ground

Automattic recently hosted @theatlantic CEO (and @atavist founder) Nicholas Thompson at our NoHo Space for an intimate conversation about The Running Ground — his new book on transformation, overcoming personal challenges, and the complicated nature of the father–son bond, all seen through the simple act of running.

This clip was one of our favorite moments. Nicholas strips down the journey of improvement in his life and career to the same simple process runners use to train. To get better, do the thing as best you can. Do it over and over.

🔗 The Running Ground: A Father, a Son, and the Simplest of Sports

I’ve been following this case for a while, so I was reading this after dinner and was startled to realize I’m in the injunction!

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69221176/64/wpengine-inc-v-automattic-inc/