Facebook apologizes for removing photo of men kissing

April 20, 2011

After receiving a number of complaints, Facebook has apologized for removing a photo of two men kissing.

In a statement, Facebook said: “The photo in question does not violate our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities and was removed in error. We apologise for the inconvenience.”

US writer Niall O’Conghaile posted the image of UK soap EastEnders on his blog. The writer posted the image in support of a gay couple who were kicked out of a London pub for kissing.

Richard Metzger, the editor of the Dangerous Minds blog where the story was published, had posted the story on Facebook when he received a warning from the site’s administrators.

The message allegedly read: “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.”
 

This isn’t the first time Facebook has come under fire for policing what it deems offensive images. In the past, photos of mothers nursing their newborns have been removed.

Metzger believes the photo may have been reported as inappropriate by a third party creeping his wall.
“I’ve written to Facebook asking them why this content was removed, but have at this point received no reply,” said Metzger. “I’ll update this post when I do. In the meantime, why not share this photo on FB as much as you can?”
 

Image by James Cummings