Nudity and sexual acts on Facebook: a regulatory delirium

Nude images or sexual acts on Facebook? No, thank you!

We live in an age in which social networks are a vehicle for all kinds of information. But unlike the web (which also has limitations), socials apply particularly restrictive rules on the content they define as ‘explicit’.

With this in-depth study, we intend to focus only on the main social, namely Facebook, and on the complex regulation of nude images and sexual acts between adults.

This concerns us personally because, as a series of erotic-humorous stories, we have repeatedly had problems with the publication of our content, despite many cautions.

Facebook community standards

Facebook has repeatedly changed its regulations on the content to be published. For all those who are interested in knowing the regulations on what content is and is not allowed on the platform, it is necessary to enter the appropriate section called ‘community standards‘. Inside you will find useful indications on everything that could incur warnings or, in some cases, restrictions on your use of the social network.

The specific section for explicit content is number 14, called ‘Images of nudity and sexual acts of adults’. Inside, by opening the complete documentation, it will be possible to have an overview of the content that is not allowed and the content that is ‘tolerated’ by the platform.

But not all that glitters is gold. While at first glance it might seem simple to follow the guidelines, a closer reading denotes several problems and also many inconsistencies.

Let us take a few examples. Facebook indicates a certain tolerance of nude images for medical, protest or educational purposes. But how to distinguish? The platform claims to tolerate these images if ‘such intentions are clear’, but how can this be established? Despite Facebook’s algorithm, how can one tell if a nude image is a protest or has an educational purpose? These are not always things that can be clearly deduced, unless a ‘manual’ check is carried out. And indeed, this is where the kettle falls. Before specifying these tolerance lines, Facebook states that it will remove sexual images by default to prevent the sharing of non-consensual content or content with minors.

This is clearly at odds with the subsequent statement: how can the platform determine the a priori removal of content, even tolerated content, to prevent it from being shared with minors? A mystery.

Even more mysterious, then, is the next specification: restrictions on the display of sexual acts also apply to digitally created content unless it is published for educational, humorous or satirical purposes. Here, too, the rule does not reflect reality: it is difficult to determine which images may have educational, or even humorous or satirical purposes. In the case of our series, for example, such content should be allowed, but often this has not been the case at all.

Another somewhat disarming example concerns the thorny topic of breast exposure. Facebook states that it tolerates pictures of nipples for medical purposes or for protest purposes (without specifying how this can be established either).

There is even a special section on the issue of breastfeeding, which reads as follows: We agree that breastfeeding is natural and beautiful, and we are glad to know that it is important for mothers to share this experience with others on Facebook. The vast majority of these photos comply with our regulations. It is a pity that, soon afterwards, Facebook states that it almost always examines pictures brought to its attention by users complaining about their content. How is it possible, then, that users can report something that is fully approved by the platform?

Among the many disconcerting specifications, it is necessary to point out one more.

Facebook implements a hardly comprehensible specification on the possibility of seeing the anus or butt area. In fact, it is forbidden to publish photos of a visible anus and/or backside that are completely naked unless retouched on a public figure. We leave the interpretation of such a sentence to you….

Returning to the issue of breasts, among the banned contents, Facebook implements a specification that is, to say the least, grotesque. Squeezing female breasts, defined as a grasping motion with curved fingers that shows both the marks and the clear change in shape of the breasts. We allow the squeezing to be shown in the context of breastfeeding.

Sexual acts: permitted contents?

In the final section, on the other hand, are the contents that are permitted for those over the age of 18. Realistic depictions of a sexual act, photographs or videos of objects depicting a sexual act in a realistic manner (as the film ‘Sausage Party’ teaches us well…) and even implied sexual acts in images recognisable as fictitious or with indicators of fictitiousness are permitted. There is also the norm that winks at the commercial soul of social: implied sexual acts in advertising.

In short, everything good as long as it is fake, or else it helps the economy.

The cosmetic surgeons and the ‘big brush’ advertisements will be happy…