Facebook Details Policy for Removing Content

“We want people to feel safe when using Facebook. For that reason, we’ve developed a set of Community Standards... (which) will help you understand what type of sharing is allowed on Facebook, and what type of content may be reported to us and removed,” Facebook said in a statement Monday.

“These standards are designed to create an environment where people feel motivated and empowered to treat each other with empathy and respect,” Facebook’s head of global policy management Monika Bickert and Vice President of Global Operations Justin Osofsky said in the joint statement.

Facebook provides for removal of content that attacks people on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, sex, physical disabilities or illnesses.

It emphatically prohibits sharing of pornographic or indeed any sexual content involving a minor.

The site says it has no place for images depicting women’s nipples, genitals of either sex or people engaged in a sexual act.

The social networking site, however, clarifies that photos of women nursing their babies or those showing scars of a mastectomy are permitted.

The community standards also put special emphasis on cases of harassment, considering it unacceptable to upload photos that are modified to degrade a person, or share personal information intended to shame someone.

Facebook also warns that sending repeated “friend” requests or unwanted messages could also be considered harassment.

The firm claimed to have concentrated on four key principles to frame its Community Standards.

Users’ security is the first of these, and Facebook promises zero tolerance of any activity that puts people in danger, regardless of whether that activity advocates violence or more simply harasses others.

The company asked clients to use authentic identities as this inclines them act responsibly, as “our names and reputations are visibly linked to our words and actions.”

Respect for cultural diversity is the third principle, and the fourth deals with new tools allowing users to control what can be seen on the site and report inappropriate content.