Facebook Community Standards Explained [In Simple Terms]

What Are the Facebook Community Standards?

Facebook Community Standards revolve around their stated values. Each section or category of the standards begins with a policy rationale to clarify why the standard is there in the first place.

Standard Categories

The standards are divided into broad yet clear categories. Each category has subcategories that add to its clarity and explanation.

Violence and Criminal Behavior

Facebook strives to limit content and speech that could be harmful. Accounts or posts that can be traced back to dangerous individuals or organizations are flagged and blocked.

Facebook will work with law enforcement to prevent anyone from seeking to coordinate, promote, or incite harm or violence to others.

Criminal behavior also extends to those who are attempting to restrict or limit goods or services to a specific people group or deceive individuals through fraud.

Safety

Everyone deserves to live in safety. Activity relating to potential bodily harm or loss of life, either self-inflicted or by another will not be tolerated.

Content that promotes exploitation, abuse, harassment, or bullying will not be permissible. Facebook will report and work with authorities to help individuals find safety.

Objectionable Content

Hate speech, violent or graphic content, and sexually explicit content regardless of age are all on the list of objectionable content.

Integrity and Authenticity

This category revolves around making sure the account belongs to a real person or group and the information presented on posts are truthful. A policy in this category relates to memorializing the account of a person who has passed away.

When the family requests a page to be memorialized and follows the necessary steps, the page title changes to “Remembering” and the person’s name. This protects the account from fraud and allows people to post fond memories to share with those left behind.

Respecting Intellectual Property

No one like to have their belongings stolen. This goes for intellectual property that has been copyrighted or trademarked.

Content-Related Requests and Decisions

Facebook complies with requests from users to remove accounts. Verified family members can also ask for accounts that belong to a deceased loved one or someone who is debilitated to protect the identity of these individuals.

Parents, legal guardians, and governments can also ask for the removal of accounts or content related to under-aged users. This includes protection for minors who have become famous unintentionally.

What Content Gets a Warning?

Some content may fall into a gray area. To decide what action to take, Facebook may ask for more information to verify authenticity and integrity, and they may remove the post until that information is received.

Some content may include a warning screen if the content is technically allowed but should only be viewed or accessed by users over the age of 17.

What Content is Not Allowed?

Any content that shows promotes incites, or coordinates violence or harm is not allowed. Content displaying explicit and lewd sexual activity and graphic violence will also be removed.

What Happens If You Violate a Facebook Community Standard?

When you violate a Facebook Community Standard, the consequences can vary depending on the severity and frequency of the violations. Facebook uses a strike system to track violations and their corresponding policy categories.

For less severe violations, Facebook’s system records offenses for 90 days, while more serious infractions can be tracked for up to four years. Initially, you’ll receive a warning for the first violation without any restrictions.

Subsequent violations lead to increasing restrictions on content creation, ranging from a one-day restriction after two violations to a 30-day restriction after five or more violations. If you accumulate five violations, your account will be disabled for at least 30 days.

In the case of particularly serious violations, Facebook may delete the account entirely. Throughout this process, you should be notified whenever Facebook takes action against your content for violating its standards.

How to Report a Facebook Community Standard Violation

While Meta strives to monitor content, it doesn’t catch everything, and user reports play a crucial role in maintaining community standards. Providing detailed and prompt reports can significantly improve the effectiveness of Meta’s response.

To report a Facebook Community Standard violation, follow these steps to help Meta address the issue:

• Locate the Content: Navigate to the specific content (post, comment, page, etc.) you believe violates the community standards.
• Access the Reporting Tool: Click on the “Support” or “Report” link, usually found in the options menu associated with the content.
• Specify the Violation: Choose the type of content you’re reporting (e.g., harassment, hate speech) and select the option that best describes the violation.
• Complete the Report: Follow the detailed instructions and provide as much information as possible to support your report.

By following these steps, you contribute to the safety and integrity of the Facebook community, aiding Meta in taking appropriate actions against violations.

How to Dispute a Community Standard Violation

To dispute a Facebook Community Standard violation, you can appeal the decision if you believe Meta incorrectly flagged your content.

Facebook recognizes that mistakes can occur during content moderation, and there is a straightforward process in place for users to challenge such decisions.

If your content is deemed not to violate the community standards upon review, it will be restored, and any violation strike against your account will be removed.

How to Dispute a Violation:

• Receive Notification: When a violation is detected, you’ll receive a notification from Facebook, which includes the option to appeal the decision.
• Submit an Appeal: Use the provided option to send a request appealing the decision.
• Review Process: Your appeal triggers a review by Facebook’s Oversight Board, which will re-evaluate the content against the Facebook Community Standards.
• Outcome: The Oversight Board will either uphold the original decision or overturn it, resulting in the restoration of your content and the removal of the violation strike.

How to Contact Facebook for Assistance:

If you need further assistance or have other concerns related to your Facebook account or the appeals process, there are several ways to contact Facebook:

• Facebook Help Center: This is the most straightforward method for finding answers to common questions and issues.
• Facebook Ads Help: If your issue relates to advertisements, using the Facebook ads platform to seek help can be effective.
• Consultant Contact: You can get in touch with a consultant and schedule a call via Facebook Messenger or utilize chat features for direct assistance.
• Email Support: For more direct assistance, you can email Facebook at support@facebook.com for general inquiries or disabled@facebook.com for issues related to disabled accounts.

By following these steps and utilizing available resources, you can effectively dispute a Community Standard violation and seek additional support if needed.

Why Are There Facebook Community Standards?

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook to give people a voice, allow them to express themselves, and give them a place to be seen.

If only there weren’t people out there who will abuse the system and create unhealthy and unsafe environments.

Not everyone will agree to play nice until they are forced to, so they can take part in the greater community.

To keep the community as safe and healthy as possible, standards and policies have to be developed and enforced.

Although this does place limits on expression, the standards are there to help everyone play fair.

Facebook has developed its standards to show four key values.

They are authenticity, security, privacy, and dignity.

1. Authenticity

Facebook encourages users to be authentic.

Members should be able to represent themselves in the truest light and should be free from misrepresentation in posts and ads.

2. Security

Protecting personal information is important.

To keep the community safe, Facebook strives to remove content that could suggest or lead to physical harm to other members.

3. Privacy

Facebook allows people to take charge of their privacy.

This allows them to share with whomever they want and when they want to share.

With privacy settings, members have the freedom to be their true selves and connect easier.

4. Dignity

Everyone, regardless of background, deserves to be respected and should be respectful.

The hope is that no one will try to demean or lessen others.

Who Do Facebook Community Standards Apply To?

The Standards apply to everyone on Facebook, no matter where they are in the world, and to all content posted.

This applies to personal pages, feeds, and people using Facebook groups.

Wrapping Up

At times, Facebook has been criticized for restricting the free speech and expression they claim to value.

Facebook Community Standards are a try to give a platform for Facebook users to safely interact and connect. Facebook is an awesome place for social interactions.

Although the system may not be perfect, Facebook does have to continue to improve its policies and have procedures in place to fix mistakes. Follow the Community Standards to avoid violations and restrictions.