Facebook Agrees To Work With The NCAC

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The National Coalition Against Censorship has announced that Facebook is willing to collaborate with the group after the nude art action #wethenipple in New York City on June 2nd where 125 people posed nude in front of Facebook’s HQ. The Art Action, organized by the NCAC and world renowned photographer Spencer Tunick, was covered by CNN and picked up worldwide. 
 
Grab Them By The Ballot Founder, Harvard Law educated Dawn Robertson, participated in the photo shoot and worked with the NCAC to promote the event. She is optimistic about the collaboration but has some additional concerns to add.
 

Grab Them By The Ballot, a nude photo campaign to empower women and increase voter turnout in 2020, joined the art action to protest the behemoth’s policies regarding artistic female nudity used for activism and the shaming of women’s bodies. Frustrated by their own experience of censorship on the social media platforms and worried it could end their campaign, the grassroots non-profit eagerly got involved. Robertson posed in the photo shoot (details available upon request). 

Robertson wants to see the policies loosen and also be executed consistently with the context taken into consideration. She wants a fair appeals process with actual people readily available and the permanent disabling of ad accounts and use of an automated system addressed. 

“I was honored to be involved and respect that the NCAC and Tunick are primarily addressing the censorship and rights of artists. We are concerned about the censorship of the intersection of art, activism and the representation and treatment of female nudity. We want to create a cultural shift and normalize female sexuality and nudity” says Robertson. 

The NCAC said Facebook has agreed to put together a group including artists, art educators, museum curators, activists, and employees to consider new nudity guidelines for images posted to its social-media platforms.

“I’m a bit concerned and suggest that feminist activists and sex-positive healers, educators and entrepreneurs be included in this group to address nude expression used outside of the art world as well as the censorship of sexually related written content. Facebook may still censor content related to women’s sexual education, healing, sovereignty and empowerment.” adds Robertson.

Robertson is also concerned about the distinction between Facebook’s advertising policies and community standards and wants it to be addressed. “They are two different beasts and when advertising the censorship is far greater” she says. Robertson adds “Regarding the advertising policies, most importantly, they should apply the general community standards regarding female artistic nudity- including the exceptions allowing nudity as a form of protest -to their advertising policies. Facebook could have a opt-out feature so users aren’t solicited unexpectedly as that is their apparent concern. 
 
The strict advertising policies limit activists, artists, educators and healers from profiting from their message and building an audience” adds Robertson. “We are selling female empowerment and Facebook also needs to have actual people looking at the context of ads.”
 
“It’s important to note that there’s an option to advertise to only those who like your page which is akin to dispensing content to friends on a newsfeed. At the very least, we should be able to promote and advertise to this audience as they have essentially opted-in. It’s just as we can to our friends through our personal accounts.” Robertson adds.

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