Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is considering lifting its ban on bare breasts. This follows a recommendation from an oversight committee that was tasked with reviewing the social media platform’s content moderation policies. The committee found that Meta’s policy was based on a binary view of gender and failed to adequately account for intersex nonbinary and transgender users. Learn more about this potential policy change, as well as how it could affect the #FreeTheNipple movement, in this blog post.

Facebook and Instagram told to end ban on bare breasts

Facebook and Instagram, which are owned by Meta, may soon lift their ban on bare breasts, according to a recommendation from an oversight committee, a panel of experts advising the companies on their content moderation policies. The decision, dated Jan. 17, calls for an overhaul of the company’s rules Adult nudity and sexual activity demonstrate clear standards of respect for international human rights standards.

The ruling follows Facebook’s review of two posts from accounts run by an American transgender and nonbinary couple. The posts showed the couple topless but with captions on their nipples illustrating transgender healthcare and raising money for top surgeries. This Posts are flagged by users, then reviewed and deleted by AI systems. Meta eventually reinstated the post after the couple appealed the decision.

The oversight board found that the policy was based on a binary view of gender and the distinction between male and female bodies, which made the rules against showing nipples unclear when it came to intersex nonbinary and transgender users. It recommends that Meta define well-defined objective respect rights Standards of moderate nudity so that all people are treated in a manner consistent with international human rights standards.

This isn’t the first time issues of breast-related censorship have surfaced on the social media platform. The #FreeTheNipple movement went mainstream in 2013 after Facebook removed footage of actor/director Lina Esco’s documentary “Free the Nipple.” The activity was widely Supported by college campuses and supported by celebrities including Rihanna, Miley Cyrus and Lena Dunham.

The Oversight Board’s decision is a step forward in the fight against sexism and gender-based discrimination on social media platforms and in promoting autonomy and inclusion in all institutions. Meta said it welcomes the board’s decision and that it is working continuously to develop its Policies that make its platform safer for everyone.