Facebook shows beheadings but bans boobs

BEHEADINGS yes, boobs no.

That is essentially Facebook's new stance after confirming it will allow users to watch videos of people having their heads chopped off.

But it won't allow bare female breasts.

The internet is, weirdly, full of videos of people being decapitated - from soldiers being executed, to one purportedly showing a Mexican having her head lopped off after cheating on her husband.

Facebook's justification for allowing beheading footage is that it wants people to condemn the videos.

"Facebook has long been a place where people turn to share their experiences, particularly when they're connected to controversial events on the ground, such as human rights abuses, acts of terrorism and other violent events," a Facebook Australia spokesman told AAP.

"People share videos of these events on Facebook to condemn them.

"If they were being celebrated, or the actions in them encouraged, our approach would be different."

Facebook, with nine million daily users in Australia, temporarily banned beheading videos in May after the Family Online Safety Institute - a member of its Safety Advisory Board - complained they "crossed a line".

Although that ban has now been overturned, Facebook, which allows children as young as 13 to join, has maintained its ban on some sexual content, including bare female breasts.

Rule seven of its safety guidelines states: "You will not post content that: is hate speech, threatening, or pornographic; incites violence; or contains nudity or graphic or gratuitous violence."

Essentially, the new rules mean that the context of any Facebook post is now key. The US firm has indicated it will examine the entire context of any post before deciding whether or not to allow it.

Jon Lawrence, executive officer of Electronic Frontiers Australia Inc, a non-profit organisation that fights for internet freedom, access and privacy, has welcomed Facebook's move to allow decapitation videos.

"In terms of censorship, social media may be one of the only ways for people in countries with limited freedom of expression to publicise human rights violations," he told AAP.

"As such, Facebook should not be censoring such material."

But he said it highlights the "fine line" Facebook now treads between censorship and providing a safe environment, particularly for younger users.

He called for "global age-based restrictions" on the site - similar to those on YouTube - allowing graphic or explicit material to be flagged as mature and potentially removed from young persons' view.

Other social networking sites do allow graphic material to be viewed and shared - though most, including Facebook, operate complaint mechanisms whereby potentially offensive material can be reviewed and removed.

The relaxation of Facebook's rules may be a move to bring it into line with the more liberal approach of its rivals.

AAP mdg/sd/pmu

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