Will Meta overturn its Instagram and Facebook censorship of nudity?

A personal example of the impact of IG and Facebook censorship on nudity on social media is the experience of having a photograph of Sebastião Salgado’s ‘Amazonia‘ exhibition flagged as inappropriate and resulting in a temporary ban from posting on Facebook. The photograph was posted on both Instagram and Facebook, and it was only flagged as inappropriate on Facebook, even though both companies belong to Meta. This experience highlights the limitations of relying solely on automatic bots and AI triggers for determining what content is appropriate, and also the inconsistency in the implementation of censorship policies across different social media platforms.

How Facebook censorship nudity and how does it affect businesses?

From a business and marketing perspective, it shows how the current approach can be detrimental to organic and user-generated content marketing, as it limits users’ ability to share their thoughts and experiences, limiting the organic promotion of businesses. It also highlights the need for better and more nuanced guidelines for Instagram and Facebook censorship rules as well as on other social media platforms.

Censored picture for reference below: 

There is a need for more human review in the process to ensure that content that is not actually inappropriate is not removed or banned. The photograph in question, which was taken by a renowned photographer, was flagged as inappropriate solely based on the presence of nudity on Instagram, without any consideration for the artistic or educational value of the content and shows how the current approach to censorship is arbitrary and detrimental to the promotion of important cultural and educational content.

From a user perspective, Facebook’s censorship of nudity can limit their freedom of expression and the ability to share their personal experiences and perspectives on the platform. This can lead to users having their accounts temporarily banned or even permanently removed, which can impact their ability to connect with friends, family, and followers, and also can lead to the suppression of marginalized voices and perspectives, especially for those who use nudity as a way of self-expression, as a form of activism, or to raise awareness about certain issues. Additionally, censorship can lead to users self-censoring their content, which can limit the diversity of content on the platform, and also can impact the self-expression and self-esteem of users.

7 Proven Tips for Staying Within Instagram’s Guidelines and Avoiding Account Bans

Instagram has community guidelines that prohibit certain types of content, including nudity and sexually explicit material. As a business for artists whose photographs tend to be nude or sensual, it’s important to take steps to ensure that your content doesn’t violate these guidelines and potentially lead to a ban or account suspension. Here are some tips for avoiding getting banned on Instagram:

1. Familiarize yourself with Instagram’s community guidelines: The first step is to read and understand the community guidelines set forth by Instagram. This will give you a good idea of what is and isn’t allowed on the platform.
2. Be mindful of what you post: As an artist, you may be tempted to push boundaries with your content, but it’s important to be mindful of what you post. If your content is too explicit or contains nudity, it may be flagged by Instagram’s algorithms or reported by users.
3. Use appropriate hashtags: Be careful when choosing hashtags for your posts. Avoid using hashtags that are overly sexual or explicit, as this may draw unwanted attention from Instagram’s moderators.
4. Respond promptly to any violations: If one of your posts is flagged or removed by Instagram, respond promptly to address the issue. This may involve removing the offending content or making changes to your posting practices.
5. Build a community of engaged followers: Building a community of engaged followers can help you avoid getting banned on Instagram. When you have a dedicated audience that interacts with your content, it sends a signal to Instagram that your content is valuable and worthy of being shared.
6. Consider using alternative platforms: If you’re concerned about getting banned on Instagram, consider using alternative platforms that are more accommodating to nudity and sexually explicit content, such as Tumblr or Patreon.
7. Use a professional marketing agency to guide you throughout the process for both organic outreach and social media ads.
8. Use our facebook ads checklist to double-check and fully understand the guidelines.

Remember, Instagram has strict rules about the types of content that are allowed on the platform, and violating these rules can result in a ban or account suspension. By following these tips and being mindful of what you post, you can help ensure that your content stays within the community guidelines and avoid getting banned on Instagram.

How can Meta improve their censorship policy and processes?

One potential solution to address these issues is to have more human reviews instead of relying solely on automatic bot and AI bans. Human reviews would allow for more nuanced and context-specific decisions to be made about content that is flagged as inappropriate. This would ensure that content that is not actually inappropriate, such as art or photography, is not removed or banned, and also would ensure that marginalized voices and perspectives are not suppressed. Additionally, it would provide a more efficient way to handle appeals and complaints, by having a human review process in place.