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Social network had banned decapitation clips but says they are being accepted again if intended to condemn violence
Facebook has quietly resumed allowing decapitation videos to be posted on its website, lifting a temporary ban it had placed earlier this year on content featuring graphic violence.
The social network said after a report on the BBC on Monday that gory photos and videos were permitted on its site so long as the content was posted in a manner intended for its users to "condemn" the acts rather than celebrate them.
"Facebook has long been a place where people turn to share their experiences, particularly when they're connected to controversial events on the ground, such as human rights abuses, acts of terrorism and other violent events," the company said in a statement.
"People share videos of these events on Facebook to condemn them. If they were being celebrated, or the actions in them encouraged, our approach would be different."
Facebook said it was working on developing new ways to let users control what content they saw, including advance warnings that particular images contained graphic violence.
The BBC reported that many Facebook users were complaining about a video on the site showing a masked man killing a woman in Mexico.
Earlier this year Facebook placed a temporary ban on content with graphic violence as it examined its policy in the wake of complaints about certain images posted on the website.
Facebook's current community standards forbid users from posting information that is threatening to others, as well as content that includes hate speech or is sexually explicit.
Groups with a record of violence or criminal activity are banned from maintaining a presence on the site and Facebook says that "sharing any graphic content for sadistic pleasure is prohibited".
Last week Facebook lifted sharing restrictions on teenagers, allowing them to make their content available to strangers. The social network dismissed concerns about cyberbullying, saying it could offer teenagers more choice while still keeping them safe.
Facebook allows beheading videos | Technology | theguardian.com
Facebook has quietly resumed allowing decapitation videos to be posted on its website, lifting a temporary ban it had placed earlier this year on content featuring graphic violence.
The social network said after a report on the BBC on Monday that gory photos and videos were permitted on its site so long as the content was posted in a manner intended for its users to "condemn" the acts rather than celebrate them.
"Facebook has long been a place where people turn to share their experiences, particularly when they're connected to controversial events on the ground, such as human rights abuses, acts of terrorism and other violent events," the company said in a statement.
"People share videos of these events on Facebook to condemn them. If they were being celebrated, or the actions in them encouraged, our approach would be different."
Facebook said it was working on developing new ways to let users control what content they saw, including advance warnings that particular images contained graphic violence.
The BBC reported that many Facebook users were complaining about a video on the site showing a masked man killing a woman in Mexico.
Earlier this year Facebook placed a temporary ban on content with graphic violence as it examined its policy in the wake of complaints about certain images posted on the website.
Facebook's current community standards forbid users from posting information that is threatening to others, as well as content that includes hate speech or is sexually explicit.
Groups with a record of violence or criminal activity are banned from maintaining a presence on the site and Facebook says that "sharing any graphic content for sadistic pleasure is prohibited".
Last week Facebook lifted sharing restrictions on teenagers, allowing them to make their content available to strangers. The social network dismissed concerns about cyberbullying, saying it could offer teenagers more choice while still keeping them safe.
Facebook allows beheading videos | Technology | theguardian.com
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