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Surprised Twitter users find out what #BBC stands for

The BBC is commonly known as the British Broadcasting Corporation—but some Twitter users are now discovering the three-letter acronym has an alternate, X-rated definition. 

 

Jordan Valinsky

Society

Posted on Jan 16, 2013   Updated on Jun 2, 2021, 3:30 am CDT

The BBC is commonly known as the British Broadcasting Corporation—but some Twitter users are now discovering the three-letter acronym has an alternate, X-rated definition. 

PC Pro is exhaustively reporting that searching the #BBC hashtag occasionally brings up explicit pictures of large, dark-skinned penises.

A tipster told the British website that pictures of well-endowed black men are “automatically appearing” when they peruse the hashtag on Twitter. The “problem,” as PC Pro labels it, is caused by Twitter’s photo preview feature, which links to hardcore imagery without filtering it.

“Such a search throws up graphic images with no warning of adult content, alongside trailers for Radio 1 shows and BBC nature programmes,” laments the site. 

Indeed, a Twitter search for #BBC reveals a few johnsons scattered in between Sherlock posts and a Radio 1 playlist account. Most are posted by “XXX” usernames—which is usually a big warning that there’s porn around.

Twitter told the website it only screens for forbidden material (like pornography) on profile pictures and backgrounds and that tweets are “not mediated.” The company encourages users to flag inappropriate content, but doesn’t immediately remove it.

Photo by Tim Loudon/Flickr

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*First Published: Jan 16, 2013, 3:05 pm CST