Facebook to ban content that sexually harasses public figures

Facebook has announced that it will start removing content that sexually harasses public figures, aiming to enforce new rules on the platform. The company’s decision to remove the content of this nature comes after the platform’s new bullying and harassment policies, which have been updated.

As part of the new policy, Facebook stated that it will delete any accounts, sites, groups, or events dedicated to sexualizing public figures, such as celebrities, politicians, and content producers.

The new policy prohibits sexualized photoshops and drawings, as well as any degrading content “in the process of bodily functions,” Antigone Davis, global head of safety at Facebook, said in a blog post on Wednesday. The company also said that it will remove "unwanted sexualized remarks" and repeated attacks sexually harassing an individual.

“Public figures — whether they’re politicians, journalists, celebrities or creators — use Facebook and Instagram to engage directly with their followers. We made these changes because attacks like these can weaponize a public figure’s appearance, which is unnecessary and often not related to the work these public figures represent”, Davis said.