A Facebook page that hosted a decapitation video now says it is unavailable
Facebook has removed a video clip showing a woman's
decapitation and issued new rules about what can be shared on its site.
The U-turn comes two days after the BBC revealed the firm
had dropped a ban on clips showing extreme violence.
That move was criticised by the British prime minister and
the company's own safety advisers.
Facebook now says it will still allow some graphic content
but will take a more comprehensive look at its context.
It outlined its revised policy in a press release.
"First, when we review content that is reported to us,
we will take a more holistic look at the context surrounding a violent image or
video, and will remove content that celebrates violence," it said.
"Second, we will consider whether the person posting
the content is sharing it responsibly, such as accompanying the video or image
with a warning and sharing it with an age-appropriate audience.
"Based on these enhanced standards, we have re-examined
recent reports of graphic content and have concluded that this content
improperly and irresponsibly glorifies violence. For this reason, we have
removed it."
The announcement follows a series of flip-flops by the
company.
'Community standard'
On May 1, when questioned about death clips being shared on
the site, the firm told the BBC that its users had the right to depict the
"world in which we live".
Facebook warning
The video was still accessible on Facebook on Tuesday, but
covered by a warning notice
However, less than two hours after the BBC published an
interview with one of the firm's safety advisers - who raised concerns about
the harm this could cause teenagers - it announced a change of tack.
"We will remove instances of these videos that are
reported to us while we evaluate our policy and approach to this type of
content," it declared.
The company promised at the time to announce its decision
when the review was completed.
But at the start of this week the BBC was contacted by one
of the social network's members who had complained about a clip uploaded on 16
October, which the company was refusing to take down.
"The video shows a woman having her head cut off by a
man in a mask," the user wrote.
"She is alive when this happens. Looking at the comments
a load of people have reported this to Facebook and had the same reply."
An Australian police force was among those who had
complained. It said it had been told by Facebook's moderators that the video
"did not violate our community standard on graphic violence".
When questioned, a spokeswoman for Facebook confirmed that
the ban had indeed been dropped and that the company had introduced a new rule:
such material could be posted and shared on the site so long as the original
post did not celebrate or encourage the actions depicted.
This prompted David Cameron to tweet on Tuesday: "It's
irresponsible of Facebook to post beheading videos, especially without a
warning. They must explain their actions to worried parents."
David Cameron tweet
Prime Minister David Cameron has welcomed the fact that
Facebook took the video off its site
Stephen Balkam, the chief executive of the Family Online
Safety Institute (Fosi) charity - who sits on the network's Safety Advisory
Board - said he was "unhappy" at the move, which he had not been told
about in advance.
Many of the site's users also questioned why it allowed such
extreme footage but banned images and videos showing a woman's "fully
exposed breast".
Facebook subsequently added an alert to the video, replacing
the banner image with the words: "Warning! This video contains extremely
graphic content and may be upsetting."
But last night it changed its policy again, and visitors to
the page are now told: "This content is currently unavailable."
In response Mr Cameron tweeted: "I'm pleased Facebook
has changed its approach on beheading videos. The test is now to ensure their
policy is robust in protecting children."
Mr Balkam also welcomed the U-turn.
"The Family Online Safety Institute is encouraged by
the changes that Facebook announced today to the posting of graphic or
disturbing material," he said in a statement.
"In order to protect young people in particular, it is
imperative that Facebook - and all other social media sites - have in place a review
process for this type of material and provide warnings where appropriate."
London-based Childnet International, another of Facebook's
safety advisers, said it still wanted more information.
"If they've taken it down I welcome that," said
the charity's chief executive Will Gardner told the BBC.
"But I want to find out more and look into this
further."
Age limits
Google's rival Google+ social network has more restrictive
guidelines on graphic content: "Do not distribute depictions of graphic or
gratuitous violence," it states.
There are videos on its YouTube service in which people
discuss beheadings and provide links to explicit footage, but the firm has
removed videos showing the act of murder from its own site.
"While YouTube's guidelines generally prohibit graphic
or violent content, we make exceptions for material with documentary, or news
value," a spokesman added.
"In cases where a video is not suitable for all
viewers, we're careful to apply warnings and age-restrictions to safeguard
people using our site."
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