Instagram and Facebook have promised to stop censoring photographs and birth videos

Two months ago we informed you about the signature collection campaign that was being carried out by a Los Angeles nurse named Katie Vigos, to get Instagram will stop censoring birth pictures.

Well, we just learned that after gathering more than 23,000 signatures, your request seems to have taken effect, and from now on the social networks of Instagram and Facebook have committed to stop considering photographs and videos of births as objectionable material that users post.

A protest that has gathered 23,000 signatures

Katie is behind an Instagram account called Empowered Birth Project, which began in 2014. She shares stunning images and videos of pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum, as well as informative messages or photographs about breastfeeding.

In December 2017, Katie knew that Instagram had removed the images of childbirth published by a doula, and that fact, along with the numerous complaints that other women had long been making for the censorship to which this social network submitted its breastfeeding photographs, led the nurse to start a protest movement.

Five months later, the campaign created on Change.org has managed to gather more than 23,000 signatures, so it seems that Instagram and Facebook are going to Rethink your community rules.

This was announced by Katie on her Instagram account:

THE PETITION WON !!!!! That's right… #IGallowuncensoredbirth, with over 23,000 signatures, has been successful: Instagram AND Facebook have officially changed their censorship policies to ALLOW UNCENSORED CHILDBIRTH !!! We did it !!!! __ When I launched the petition in December 2017, Facebook was not a thought in my mind. When I got a phone call a month later in January from a representative of Facebook's public policy team, I was informed that since Facebook owns Instagram and both are governed by the same policies, this change will affect both platforms. This is truly groundbreaking, world changing news! Due to the extensive process required to implement this change within FB / IG, there may still be some glitches (i.e. random / accidental censorship) as they train their global team of employees and modify their software to recognize ALL birth related media as acceptable content. I waited until now to announce this exciting news because FB / IG has been working hard to update their technology and decrease censorship before giving me the green light to share this with you. Dear @instagram @ facebook… thank you !!!!! __ Thank you all SO much for your endless support of this cause. There is strength in numbers, and together we have achieved this much needed policy change. This is so much more than a single petition-- it's the cumulative result of many people over many years advocating to end birth censorship. Together, we have birthed a major shift in the collective consciousness, and now we are free to share uncensored birth in its full expression of glory on two of the biggest online platforms in the world. __ All of this just in time to kick off Mother's Day weekend. I can't think of a better way to celebrate !!! Share this news everywhere! Thank you, thank you, thank you. We did it! __ Love, @katievigos __ #IGallowuncensoredbirth #empoweredbirthproject #thankyoufacebook #thankyouinstagram #birthcensorshipendsnow

A shared post by Bykatievigos RN, Doula (@empoweredbirthproject) on May 11, 2018 at 7:11 p.m. PDT

"WON PETITION! That's the way it is with more than 23,000 signatures we have got Instagram and Facebook to officially change their policies of censorship to allow photographs of births "

"When I launched the petition in December 2017, the Facebook social network was not on my mind. In January, a month after I launched the petition, a representative from the Facebook public policy team contacted me to inform me that Facebook and Instagram were governed by the same policies, so the change would affect both platforms equally"

"This is really revolutionary, news that changes the world! Due to the extensive process required to implement this change within FB and IG, there may still be some failures (i.e. random or accidental censorship) while they train their global team of employees and modify their software to recognize any graphic material related to birth, as acceptable content "

"I waited until now to announce this exciting news because FB and IG have been working hard to update their technology and reduce censorship before giving me the green light to share this information with you. Dear @instagram and @ facebook ... Thank you !!!! "

"Thank you all for your endless support for this cause. There is strength in the numbers, and together we have achieved this much needed policy change. This is much more than a single request: it is the result after many years of struggle of many people for put an end to birth censorship. Together, we have achieved a great change in collective consciousness, and now we are free to share birth without censorship on two of the world's largest platforms. "

No doubt this change in Facebook and Instagram policies will be an important step for normalize processes as natural as pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and the puerperium.

And it is that one of the main reasons that led Katie to protest, is the fact that the woman could not be informed graphically and educated without scorn or censorship, about the changes that occur in the body when gestating and giving birth to a new life .

Why does Facebook and Instagram censor images of births?

Although the promise that Facebook has made to Katie Vigos does not have a specific date, the nurse affirms in this interview with Harpers Bazar that she is already beginning to notice that something is changing, because photographs that were previously published and were censored, are no longer.

At the moment, the conditions of use of Instagram have not undergone modifications and we can continue reading the standard that refers to nudes and genitals under which images related to childbirth can be denounced and censored:

"We are aware that some people may want to share nude images of an artistic or creative nature; however, for various reasons, We don't allow them to post nude on Instagram. This restriction applies to photos, videos and certain digital content that show sexual acts, fully exposed genitals and buttocks close-ups. It also applies to some photos of female nipples; However, photos of mastectomy and breastfeeding scars are allowed. Nudes are also accepted in pictures of paintings and sculptures "

And, as Karina Newton, director of Instagram public policies for the Americas reports in the report of Harpers Bazar, "The images of births are removed because they contain nudes and genitals", something that according to the promise made to Katie will soon begin to change.

"Instagram and Facebook are improving their machine learning system to distinguish between nudity and childbirth. The goal is to have a smarter system so that we do not delete images of childbirth in the same way that nude images are removed" - explains Karina Newton .

In the middle of last year we informed you of an important step after the announcement of Facebook that breastfeeding photographs would no longer be censored. Now, it only remains to see when the promise of not censoring photographs and images of births will materialize in the community norms.

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