Dear Facebook, Why Don’t You Follow Your Own Community Standards?

Facebook moderation system banned my profile without reason. No any chance to understand why. The biggest company in the Web have the worst customer service in the World!

(LAST UPDATED 29.06.2017)

I am writing this as the “last resort” to give publicity of my “Facebook saga”… Because I am not able to connect with any real human person (not bot for automatic messages) from the Facebook Customer support department.

What’s happened? Two days ago, I was surprised by Facebook moderation bot message that my content has been removed for not following Facebook Community Standards, especially for “Nudity”. And my account was blocked for 30 days! (because formally this was my fourth “sin” during my 10 years Facebook “service”).

A little history

To clarify, I am very careful and strict towards Facebook Community Standards and rules. Four years ago, I was banned for the first time and after that I even wrote an article in my site about Facebook moderation rules concerning “nudity”. The ban was for posting this pic:

Actually, this is pic taken from art performance based on “Liberty Leading the People” (La Liberté guidant le peuple) picture by Eugène Delacroix, during the mass protests against Bulgarian government in 2013.

Formally it is against Facebook rules because shows woman nipple. I agreed.

Next time was in October 2015.

Some “fiends“ reported my content I posted in Facebook group, I even didn’t understand which exactly. (there was elections time in Bulgaria, I think it was photo collage I made with some of the most stupid looking candidates). The ban for 3 days followed. After 3 days passes I received from Facebook the same message for the same content I was banned 3 days ago. This time the ban was for 7 days! I did nothing these 3 days, I wasn’t able to post because of the ban. Beside that Facebook wanted me to verify my ID. I did it.

The message I received after was totally inadequate:

“Thanks for contacting Facebook. It appears that the account associated with this email is a personal account. If you converted another personal account to a Facebook Page in error, please contact us from the email address associated with that account.”

My answer:

“I have never converted personal account to a Facebook Page. This is not my issue! I wrote you 6 times that my personal account was blocked without ANY reason for 7 days! Nobody reacted! I am totally disappointed from Facebook support. This is unfair, this is unprofessional!”

Of course, nobody from Facebook support reacted in some way…

So, let’s back to the current case.

This is the pic I was banned for:

The caption is: “Illegal tent? There will be penalty!” I posted it in Facebook comment a couple of days ago.

The automatic message from Facebook (probably bot) moderator I received: “We removed one of your photos because it doesn’t follow the Facebook Community Standards.” The reason — ”for showing “Nudity”.

What exactly are Facebook rules concerning “Nudity” standards:

“We restrict the display of nudity. Some descriptions of sexual acts may also be removed. These restrictions on the display of both nudity and sexual activity also apply to digitally created content unless the content is posted for educational, humorous or satirical purposes.”

I answered immediately:

“Hello,

You blocked me without a reason!

The pic you removed:

1. is used with “humorous or satirical purpose” and

2 .it’s not “display nudity and sexual activity”!

It is a joke with minister of Tourism of Bulgaria, she wanted to ban using the tents on the seaside outside from the camping’s area.

The same image was published many times during the last year, by different people on their Facebook feed and nobody warns anybody that it is against Facebook standards!

This is quote of Facebook rules: “…These restrictions on the display of both nudity and sexual activity also apply to digitally created content unless the content is posted for educational, humorous or satirical purposes.

Please review the issue again!”

This penalty is absolutely ridiculous. The same pic I created in March, 2016 is still in my “Timeline Photos” album in my Facebook profile. The pic was shared hundred times by different people in Facebook and nobody was banned because of that.

There is NO “nudity” or “sexual activity” in the pic. The man erection (showed under the sheets) is more physiological than sexual act. Of course, you can find some sexual context in but it is obviously used for “humorous or satirical purposes.”

I sent the feedback again but Facebook (bot) just answered:

“We reviewed your photo again and confirmed that it doesn’t follow our Community Standards. “

The case was marked as “closed”.

So, I feel really helpless. There is no mail, no phone, no chat or any other channel to contact with Facebook support. There is no any contact even to Facebook Legal Department to send appeal. Nothing! You just should stay and wait your ban to be lifted after 30 days, no matter it is groundless.

In the last 10 years of my professional work as digital marketer, I have contacted Customer support of many companies — Google, Amazon, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Pinterest, Prezi and many more. All they have options to connect by mail, by phone, by chat, some of them even to my native language. But Facebook — NOT! The biggest company in the Web have the worst customer service in the world! Facebook don’t follow their own Community Standards! They can do anything they want with your account and you have not any possibility to defend your rights or to received detailed explanation of their motives and activity on your case. This is NOT fair! Sad but true…

Of course, you could say — your case is not a “tragedy”, no need so big buzz. Yes, maybe you are right…But I just can’t stand to be treated like shit (excuse my language). After all I am not just Facebook user, I am Facebook customer as well. And I am sure I am not the only one who received such unfair, unprofessional and uncomplimentary treatment on the side of Facebook support…

So, my big request is:

Please, share this article — on Facebook, Google, Twitter, LinkedIn, anywhere in the Web!

Spread it to your friends who had the same problem…This is our only opportunity to be heard.

If anybody have some contacts of Facebook legal department, please contact me!

This time we should break through the Facebook wall of indifference!

UPDATE 16.06.2017

Ten (10) days after my Facebook ban, after hundreds of shares, comments, likes and more…among many social media — Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram…(thank you very much for your support, my friends!) the only reaction on the side of Facebook is that it start to mark my article as SPAM! Shame!

But I will not give up, I will continue to seek for my rights. If necessary, in law court!

UPDATE 29.06.2017

The Happy Resolution

At the end, my case has probably reached a level of “human moderation” on Facebook, and apparently they have judged that my Facebook ban was wrong moderation decision and yesterday they canceled it 9 days earlier.

I have not received any message either in Facebook “support inbox” or anywhere else to be sure what happened, but I can say that this whole campaign against the imperfect Facebook moderation system, at least in my case, has ended successfully. This is great!

Of course, I will not give up the cause — to fight for significant improvement of Facebook moderation.

I especially would like to thank all friends and acquaintances who supported me and spread the article on social networks.

Only in Facebook over 360 people have shared it. Here in Medium more than 2,200 people from all over the world have read it. Dozens of shares it got on Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, even was posted and commented at Reddit. Once again, I sincerely thank you!