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Facebook is stupid! Let me explain why. I am a photographer. So, I am also a member of various Facebook groups about photography. Some of these groups are dedicated to photographing people. This blog post shows various artistic nude photos. If you don't want to see that kind of photo, then please stop reading.
The links in this blog post are affiliate links. I receive a small provision when you buy something via these links; however, that does not cause you any additional cost.
On 7th July 2021, somebody in a Facebook photography group asked other group members to provide links to their Instagram accounts. As such, I added a link to my Instagram account. The reaction from Facebook was the following:
Sometimes, links can be considered spam. However, in this case, the author of the group post explicitly requested members to add links to their Instagram profiles. Furthermore, it's funny that Facebook considers links to its own service, Instagram, as spam.
On the 29th of August, a member of a Facebook group was looking for a photographer. I added the link to my own website to this group post. On this page, people can find my portfolio and information about myself. The reaction from Facebook was the following:
I offered the author of the group post what she was looking for. So, from my point of view, this was not spam.
Like many other photographers, I also do artistic nude photoshoots. There are dedicated groups at Facebook for posting artistic nude photos. On 2nd November 2021, I received the following feedback from Facebook about posting a photo in one of these groups:
This is an implied nude photo. My blog post about nude photography explains what that means. The model in this photo is nude. However, you can only see parts of the body which you also see when you go to a public swimming bath in Germany. You could argue that there is a naked ass in the photo, but having a string around the ass wouldn't make any difference. Also, it's blurred. In order to achieve this, I used a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV and a Canon EF 50mm F1.4 USM. This lens allows you to take photos with a limited depth of field. I set the aperture to 2.8, and set the focus to one of the eyes of the model when I took the photo. By the way, you can find this same photo on my Facebook page:
I took this screenshot on 29th January 2022, and, as you can see, I posted the photo on 20th March 2021. Furthermore, Facebook frequently asks me to pay them for promoting this photo. Does this make any sense?
You can also find this photo in my Instagram profile. I have asked the model if she likes this photo, and I got the following feedback from her (original feedback in German and my translation):
There is a similar picture which shows the model in lingerie:
In this photo, the model is wearing lingerie. However, does it make any difference? By the way, you can find this picture on the model's Instagram profile. The popup from Facebook mentions that you can disagree with the decision. However, you can't. The popup only allows you to accept the decision. On 19th March 2021, I received the following feedback from Facebook about posting a photo in a group:
Yes, you can see a nude ass in this photo. However, it's an artistic nude photo. What's the difference to a cheesy naked photo?
In fact, you can only see parts of the body which you can also see in a lingerie picture. With regards to this, and another photo I received the following feedback from the model (original feedback in German and my translation):
By the way, I also took a similar picture with lingerie:
In this photo, the model is wearing lingerie. However, does it make any difference? On 27th January 2022, I received the following feedback from Facebook about posting a photo in a group:
The nipples in this photo are censored as required by Facebook. And from my point of view also this picture is an artistic nude photo because the body is illuminated by a limited amount of light. The face of the model is hardly visible. That's how the entire picture looks like as I posted it on Facebook:
Nevertheless, Facebook complained about this picture. Does this photo make you feel unsafe? By the way, I have posted this photo in a dedicated group about people photography. The members of such groups are used to seeing such photos every day. Many other photographers post similar photos with censored nipples on Facebook. I received the following feedback about this photo from the model (original feedback in German and my translation):
Facebook provided the following explanations:
We use the same Community Standards around the world for everyone on Facebook.
I understand that Facebook is an American company, and that Americans have a different attitude about nudity than Germans. When I visited a magazine store in Florida, I noticed that the front pages of the Playboy magazine were shielded. However, implied nude photos shouldn't be a problem even in the USA. Wearing swimwear on the beach is allowed in the USA. During a visit to Miami Beach, I even noticed many topless women on the beach.
We used technology to review your content and determined that it violates our standards.
I guess that they use some kind of artificial intelligence to check all pictures.
I got the following restrictions from Facebook:
And Facebook provided the following explanation for that:
As long as Facebook restricts my account, I will not use it. I will no longer help them to keep other people on their platform and make them watch their ads. I don't need Facebook. In the meantime, you can contact me via the contact details on my website. I know very well why I have my own website. Facebook can't restrict me there. Within a couple of days, I received emails from Facebook trying to get me back on their platform: