Imgur's Sarah Schaaf Responds After NSFW Censorship Rules Are Enforced: What She Said On Twitter

It would be an understatement to say that Imgur users -- also known as "Imgurians"-- freaked out when the image-based social network started to enforce censorship guidelines this week. Community manager Sarah Schaaf even received death threats over the rules, but it doesn’t mean she has given up on the Internet.

“Received some bad Internet comments today, but then received hundreds of amazing ones. People are good and I will always love the Internet,” Schaaf wrote Tuesday. “I can't say that today has been my favorite day, but Thai delivery is on the way. So I've got that going for me, which is nice,” she added.

Even people who aren’t familiar with Imgur would sense something is wrong with the community by simply checking out the front page on Wednesday, June 3. Instead of being filled with cute GIFs and random nonsense, there were rants that condemned censorship and apologies directed at Schaaf -- though Imgur users referred to her by her first name.

As Schaaf noted, even though there are some people who reacted inappropriately, there are others who tried to make up for it. Several images appeared on the front page as apologies to her. “I’m so sorry that some Imgurians can’t have a civil discussion. We love you,” one popular meme reads.

“Throwing hissy fits and sending Sarah death threats doesn’t seem to be the best way to prove you’re mature enough to handle NSFW [not save for work] content, but that’s none of my business,” the popular Kermit-sipping-tea-none-of-my-business-meme reads.

Chaos erupted on Imgur on Monday, June 1, after the site started to delete obscene and sexually explicit comments from the comment section. Schaaf explained that it’s not to transform Imgur into a kid-friendly Internet space, however.

“The rules have always been around and have never permitted NSFW content, but in the past they lived offsite, they were infrequently enforced, and reports were only made as attacks on other users." Shaaf wrote Tuesday. “This is not meant to turn Imgur into a G-rated shell of itself, nor is it meant to bring down a ban hammer on our most active users. We value free speech and self-expression incredibly highly, and the sometimes crass humor, ridiculous puns, and don't-take-ourselves-too-seriously attitudes make Imgur what it is, and we love this community."

She added: "There is a place for d---butt and fine art and weird GIFs and information here--nothing will change about that." Comments are being censored now because the Imgur team has grown to 65 people, and the network finally has the resources to scrub inappropriate comments, Schaaf explained.

See her full post here:

A note on the community rules.

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