Facebook has recently announced that it would start removing severe sexualizing content targeting public figures as part of a new update to its bullying and harassment policies. The new policy changes also include coordinated harassment attacks against users.
In a blog post, Facebook’s global head of safety Antigone Davis wrote: “Public figures — whether they’re politicians, journalists, celebrities or creators — use Facebook and Instagram to engage directly with their followers. We made these changes because attacks like these can weaponize a public figure’s appearance, which is unnecessary and often not related to the work these public figures represent.”
Davis said: As part of this new policy update, Facebook said that it would remove any profiles, pages, groups, or events dedicated to sexualizing public figures, including celebrities, politicians, and content creators.
The new policy bans sexualized photoshops and drawings and any degrading content in the process of bodily functions.
Facebook also said that it would remove unwanted sexualized commentary and repetitive attacks harassing an individual sexually.
The new update also includes new language banning large, coordinated attacks on users that are at a heightened risk of offline harm, even if the posts or messages don’t violate Facebook’s content policies. It also includes Facebook and Instagram posts and direct messages sent to individuals like government dissidents or victims of violent attacks.
