News (USA)

‘Graphic’ photo of two men kissing removed in error, says Facebook

‘Graphic’ photo of two men kissing removed in error, says Facebook

The removal by Facebook of a photo of two men kissing because it reportedly violated the social network’s standards against “graphic or sexually suggestive content,” has now been called an “error.”

Graphic or sexually suggestive by Facebook standards?

Online talk show host Richard Metzger said the photo (above) was pulled after a complaint by one of his Facebook friends who also ranted about it on his Facebook page.

Metzger posted the photo on his Facebook wall when he shared an article about a “gay kiss-in” protest against London’s John Snow pub for ejecting a gay couple last Friday.

This is perplexing. And annoying. And infuriating. I woke up this morning to an email from Facebook with the subject “Facebook Warning”:

“Hello,

Content that you shared on Facebook has been removed because it violated Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. Shares that contain nudity, or any kind of graphic or sexually suggestive content, are not permitted on Facebook.

This message serves as a warning. Additional violations may result in the termination of your account. Please read the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities carefully and refrain from posting abusive material in the future. Thanks in advance for your understanding and cooperation.

The Facebook Team”

Ah… yeah… it seems that the sight of two fully-clothed men kissing was too much for Facebook, or too much for some closet-case asshole […] who complained about it.

Late Monday afternoon, the website AMERICAblog reported it received this statement from Facebook:

“The photo in question does not violate our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities and was removed in error. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

The photo is originally from the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders, and was not used in the original Facebook Event for promoting the kiss-in protest. That event, however, was taken private by its owner due to internet trolls posting abusive comments.

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