Tumblr: Sorry about the rocky porn ban rollout

File photo - Tumblr iPhone mobile app icon. (Photo by Hoch Zwei/Corbis via Getty Images)

Tumblr probably won't win back any users affected by the platform's new porn ban, which went into effect Monday. But that isn't stopping the company from trying.

On Monday, Tumblr issued an apology for the porn ban's rocky rollout. It also claimed that no content is being purged from the platform; affected posts are simply being hidden from public view.

That means content creators still have time to download and migrate their past posts to an alternative platform—assuming they don't deliberately run afoul of Tumblr's new anti-porn rules.

"We're removing content, not people. However, those who repeatedly and deliberately post new content that violates our updated guidelines may have their account deactivated per our Terms of Service," the company said in a support page post.

Users most infuriated by the porn ban include erotic artists, free speech advocates, and members of the LGBTQ community, who say Tumblr is effectively banning certain sexual content from the mainstream internet. Tumblr disagrees; it noted that you can still write about sex on the platform. Users are also free to post nude images and videos related to gender-confirmation surgery, art, or political speech.

"We fully recognize Tumblr's special obligation to these communities and are committed to ensuring that our new policy on adult content does not silence the vital conversations that take place here every day," the company added in its blog post.

But whether Tumblr and its computer algorithms can distinguish between legitimate content and pornographic imagery remains in question. To enforce the ban, the company said its anti-porn systems have been scanning through "tens of billions of GIFs, video and photos" and trying to flag that that actually depict sexual activities.

Unfortunately, the system is far from flawless. Users have been noticing Tumblr mistakenly flagging images of dogs, Jesus, and superheroes as sexually explicit.

"Having a post mistakenly flagged as adult totally sucks; we understand and agree that there have been too many wrongfully flagged posts since we announced the policy change," Tumblr said on Monday.

The company promises that its anti-porn detection systems will improve over time. But in a bit of irony, Tumblr is also asking the public to report when the system flags the wrong content. "With tens of billions of GIFs, videos, and photos to review and millions of new posts every day, we really need your help to get it right," the company said.

However, users most affected by the ban may not care; some have been instead calling for a boycott of Tumblr.

Tumblr announced the porn ban weeks after the company's iOS app was temporarily pulled from Apple's App Store over child pornography found on the platform. In April, the US also passed a new anti-online sex trafficking law, called FOSTA, which opens the door for criminal prosecution and civil lawsuits against websites that faciliate prostitution.

Tumblr has provided a link to users who want to appeal wrongfully flagged posts. If you want to export your blog from Tumblr, you can go here to learn how.

This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.