• Instagram has followed in the footsteps of other Facebook properties in censoring links to competitors’ services. Late last week, the Guardian reported that the photo-sharing platform had begun censoring invitation links to Snapchat and Telegram.

  • An Australian music video that “celebrates women's sexuality in all its forms” has been censored by Facebook. The video’s creator states that she never received a reason for the takedown, and says: “Having not received a report we aren't sure which Facebook community standard we violated, though I presume the fact we are swearing, wearing latex gloves and suggestively fondling fruit may have something to do with it. I'm not here to say we didn't break any rules; indeed, I don't know if we did because I didn't get an explanation. The thing is, the rules are unreasonable, and inconsistently policed.”

  • The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has called on social networks to be more transparent about all kinds of content takedowns. Specifically, the ACLU asks social networking companies to be more transparent about terms of service-related takedowns.

  • CNet reports that Google copyright takedown requests have jumped to 76 million in the past month, a number more than double last year’s.

  • #TBTcensorship: That time Twitter censored the Internet’s top dog rater.

 

Having not received a report we aren't sure which Facebook community standard we violated, though I presume the fact we are swearing, wearing latex gloves and suggestively fondling fruit may have something to do with it. I'm not here to say we didn't break any rules; indeed, I don't know if we did because I didn't get an explanation. The thing is, the rules are unreasonable, and inconsistently policed.

Maeve Marsden

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mathana Stender

Matthew Stender, Project Strategist for onlinecensorship.org, is a Tech Ethicist, focusing on the ethical and cultural implications of emerging technology. His research focuses on algorithm transparency, network bias and freedom of expression online, as well as political and socio-cultural dynamics of censorship by social media networks.