Rules About What You Can and Can’t Post On Facebook

Facebook is currently the biggest social networking site in the world and it’s hard to imagine life without the social network.  Therefore, Facebook rules aren’t changing but they want to make sure their 1.39 billion users better understand what they can and can not post on the social network.

However, it turns out that defining nudity is more complicated than you might expect on facebook. It’s a challenge to maintain one set of standards that meets the needs of a diverse global community,” Monika Bickert, head of global policy at Facebook and Chris Sonderby, the company’s deputy general counsel, wrote in a blog post.

“For one thing, people from different backgrounds may have different ideas about what’s appropriate to share — a video posted as a joke by one person might be upsetting to someone else, but it may not violate our standards,” they wrote

No Nudity Allowed – In case there was any doubt: Nudity is not allowed on Facebook, however there are some exceptions, including women who are “actively engaged in breastfeeding or showing breasts with post-mastectomy scarring.” Facebook says posts with “genitals or fully exposed buttocks” will be taken down. “Some images” of breasts are restricted if they show a nipple, but photos of women breastfeeding will always be ok.

Hate speech– Under most circumstances, Facebook will remove hate speech, however the company noted the important role it can play in being a forum to “challenge ideas, institutions, and practices.” If you do plan to post hate speech to educate your friends, make sure to “clearly indicate” that’s your goal or else risk having it taken down. Facebook also allows you to make make humorous posts about hate speech if you want to ridicule it.

Eliminating Criminal Activities- When it comes to violence, Facebook will remove “graphic images when they are shared for sadistic pleasure or to celebrate or glorify violence,” the company said.