Voice Of Post

Facebook banning policy, Facebook made updates to its banning policy on Monday. The popular social media site clarified what members are allowed to post and what will get them banned. The new community guidelines are three times as long as the old and are more specific about what behavior is and isn't allowed on Facebook.

Facebook has previously not been consistent about what content users are allowed to share. Free sharing of information is encouraged on Facebook, but with such a vast and diverse global audience, Facebook is finding it difficult to make everyone happy. Facebook's Head of Global Policy Management Monika Bickert said that the "landscape is complicated," and they are trying to strike a balance in the community with the new policy updates.

Recent sudden reversal of policy standards has made Facebook seem wishy-washy on what they allow and don't allow. For example, letting copycat pages stay published when original offending pages are taken down and banning some members for using false names while allowing other members to do the same. Facebook hopes that the new policy updates will take some of the confusion out of what is ultimately not allowed.

Some content on Facebook has always been banned and will continue to always be banned, such as terrorist groups and pornography. The new guidelines go into more detail and give examples of what isn't allowed. Facebook now says that supporting terrorist groups is not allowed, as well as all other violent, criminal and hateful behavior. Facebook has also clarified that they will allow images of breastfeeding and post-mastectomy photos but not exposed buttocks or revenge porn.

Facebook users can still report content they feel is offensive, including spammy posts. Governments can also still request that Facebook take down posts they feel is objectionable. The online social networking service never plans to automatically scan and remove content, saying they still need the option to take into account the full context of each post. According to Bickert, every violation report is closely examined by a review team. She went on to say that all account suspension appeals are also read by real people to determine an appropriate outcome, but that users need to be patient because the review process takes time.

Clarifying Facebook's rules helps not only Facebook users but also the people who review possible violations to decide what is permissible. "We can only do this if we have objective rules,” said Bickert. Facebook is also "thinking" about a dislike button. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said in December during a Q&A session in California that users would like a dislike button as a way to say "that's not something that we think is good for the world."

Facebook banning policy, Facebook, the world's largest social network, has updated its community standards to clarify the content that people are and aren't allowed to share.

The update is designed to provide "more detail and clarity on what is and is not allowed," Facebook said in a blog post Sunday.

With more than a billion users worldwide, the revised Facebook community standards are a response to a call for more guidance in what is acceptable to post to the social network.

"These standards are designed to create an environment where people feel motivated and empowered to treat each other with empathy and respect," Monika Bickert, Facebook's head of global policy management, and Chris Sonderby, Facebook's deputy general counsel, said in the post.

The updated policy reiterates Facebook's stance against harassment and provides "more guidance on policies related to self-injury, dangerous organizations, bullying and harassment, criminal activity, sexual violence and exploitation, nudity, hate speech, and violence and graphic content."

Facebook stressed that its policies aren't being radically altered. "While some of this guidance is new, it is consistent with how we've applied our standards in the past," Bickert and Sonderby said.

Also included are sections on protecting intellectual property and account security, as well as "encouraging respectful behavior."

Facebook relies on user reports to deal with offensive or prohibited content, and based on the revised guidelines, the social network has no plans to change that system. "If people believe Pages, profiles or individual pieces of content violate our Community Standards, they can report it to us by clicking the 'Report' link at the top, right-hand corner," they said.

Facebook has also said that it may geographically target areas in accordance with laws of specific countries, even if the content doesn't violate the Facebook's standards. Citing the example of blasphemy, Facebook said "if a country requests that we remove content because it is illegal in that country, we will not necessarily remove it from Facebook entirely, but may restrict access to it in the country where it is illegal."

In addition to the updated guidelines, the post also noted government requests for both account data and content removal made to Facebook during the second half of 2014. There was an 11 percent increase from the previous six months in the amount of content removed due to violation of local laws, totaling "9,707 pieces of content restricted" from July through December 2014. Meanwhile, the number of government requests for account data remained fairly flat, rising to 35,051 from 34,946. Government requests are detailed here.