Facebook clarifies post guidelines

Facebook has issued new guidelines stipulating that graphic images shared for sadistic pleasure, and posts promoting hate will be removed.

Comment: How Facebook is changing the way we feel

A Facebook employee walks past a sign at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Facebook has updated its "community standards" guidelines, giving users more clarity on acceptable posts - relating to nudity, violence, hate speech and other contentious topics.

The world's biggest social network on Monday said it does not allow a presence from groups promoting "terrorist activity, organised criminal activity or promoting hate".

The new guidelines say Facebook will take down "graphic images when they are shared for sadistic pleasure or to celebrate or glorify violence".

Nudity is also removed in many cases but allowed for images of breastfeeding, art or medical conditions.

"These standards are designed to create an environment where people feel motivated and empowered to treat each other with empathy and respect," said a blog post from Facebook global policy chief Monika Bickert and deputy general counsel Chris Sonderby.

"While our policies and standards themselves are not changing, we have heard from people that it would be helpful to provide more clarity and examples, so we are doing so with today's update."

The new guidelines say Facebook members should use their "authentic name", a move that appears to head off criticism from people who used stage or performance names instead of their legal name.


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Source: AAP



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