Earlier tonight I posted a video to TikTok, lamenting the insanity that is Moms For Liberty and in particular their book ban crusade, not least the forced coverup of cartoons in children’s books.

The idea that these drawings — in books by Maurice Sendak, among others — were somehow “harmful” is demented. The video includes a clip from CNN showing a few of the drawings, censored and uncensored.

Within minutes, it was removed by TikTok (presumably following a complaint) due to… wait for it… “Sexually Suggestive Content”.

Screenshot: Violation reasons - Sexually Suggestive Content. We welcome performances and dances where people can creatively express themselves, celebrate their culture, or seek to entertain. We are mindful that certain behaviors related to sexual arousal or suggestiveness may be offensive to some people and may put young people at risk of exploitation. We do not allow seductive performances or allusions to sexual activity by young people, or the use of sexually explicit narratives by anyone.

Hopefully some sentient being overrules the trolls, but if not…

I know Content Moderation at Scale Is Impossible, but surely we can do better than that?

Oh, yeah, the not-remotely-worth-the-trouble video in question:

Update: the video was restored on appeal, and it’s right over here