Free The Nipple: End Ban On Bare Breasts - Oversight Board Tells Instagram, Facebook

<i>The Oversight Board is an independent body that people can appeal to if they disagree with decisions we made about content on Facebook or Instagram.</i><br><br><blockquote><b>Facebook and Instagram could be about to &quot;free the nipple&quot; after owners Meta's oversight board said nudity rules on the sites should be overhauled.<br><br>The board said in a ruling that Meta needed to change its adult nudity policy to make it more inclusive.</b><br><br>It said the company's existing policy is based on a binary view of gender, making it unclear how the rules apply to intersex, non-binary and transgender people.<br><br>The free the nipple campaign started more than a decade ago, following a film of the same name made in 2012 which led to protests demanding the right for women to bare their breasts both online and off.<br><br>Conversations about trans bodies and gender fluidity have added nuance and complexity to the discussions, and it's on this point that Meta's oversight board has intervened.<br><br>The board overturned Meta's previous decisions to remove two Instagram posts from a US-based couple who identify as transgender and non-binary.<br><br>In the photos, the couple are bare-chested with their nipples covered. The captions discussed transgender healthcare and explained the couple were fundraising for one of the pair to undergo top surgery (gender-affirming surgery to create a flatter chest).<br><br>The posts were flagged by Meta's systems, as well as by reports from users, and were removed for violating the Sexual Solicitation Community Standard, &quot;seemingly because they contain breasts and a link to a fundraising page&quot;, according to the decision.<br><br>The users appealed against the removal and Meta ultimately restored the posts.<br><br>'We know more can be done'<br><br>Meta's existing policy prohibits images containing female nipples other than in specified circumstances such as breastfeeding and gender confirmation surgery.<br><br>The board called the rules around female nipples &quot;extensive and confusing, particularly as they apply to transgender and non-binary people&quot;.<br><br>It added that &quot;this creates confusion for users and moderators and, as Meta has recognised, leads to content being wrongly removed&quot;.<br><br>The board found Meta's policy on its social platforms was &quot;based on a binary view of gender and a distinction between male and female bodies&quot; which &quot;makes it unclear how the rules apply to intersex, non-binary and transgender people&quot;.<br><br>It said Meta should change its approach to managing nudity &quot;by defining clear criteria... which ensure all users are treated in a manner consistent with human rights standards&quot;.<br><br>The oversight board, which includes academics, rights experts and lawyers, was created by the company to rule on a small selection of thorny content moderation appeals, but it can also advise on wider site policies. The board is funded by Meta but operates independently.<br><br>A spokesperson for Meta said the company had recognised the content posted by the US-based couple should not have been taken down prior to the board's report and welcomed its decision.<br><br>In a statement, Meta said: &quot;We are constantly evaluating our policies to help make our platforms safer for everyone. We know more can be done to support the LGBTQ+ community, and that means working with experts and LGBTQ+ advocacy organisations on a range of issues and product improvements.&quot;</blockquote><br><a rel=ugc href="https://news.sky.com/story/end-ban-on-bare-breasts-instagram-and-facebook-told-by-meta-oversight-board-12789232"><u><i>SOURCE</i></u> </a>
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