Facebook Removes Beheading Video

Just a couple of days ago, we did talk about how social networking giant Facebook has silently allowed both violent images as well as videos to be posted – as long as it was done with the right intention. Well, there has been much uproar among both users and advertisers this week due to an alleged beheading video that happened in Mexico, and it does seem as though Facebook had performed a U-turn by removing said beheading video.

Facebook initially argued that such violent videos can be posted to raise awareness. A Facebook spokesperson mentioned, “When people share this type of graphic content, it is often to condemn it. If it is being shared for sadistic pleasure or to celebrate violence, Facebook removes it.”

Taking a closer look at the situation, Facebook announced that they have removed said video which was titled “Challenge, Anybody can watch this video?” A statement from Facebook went this way, “Based on [our] enhanced standards, we have re-examined recent reports of graphic content and have concluded that this content improperly and irresponsibly glorifies violence. For this reason, we have removed it.Going forward, we ask that people who share graphic content for the purpose of condemning it do so in a responsible manner, carefully selecting their audience and warning them about the nature of the content so they can make an informed choice about it.”