Policy details

Change log

CHANGE LOG

Change log

Today

Current version

Apr 25, 2022
Dec 17, 2020
Nov 7, 2019
Oct 10, 2019

Policy Rationale

In line with our commitment to authenticity, we do not allow people to misrepresent themselves on Facebook, use fake accounts, artificially boost the popularity of content or engage in behaviors designed to enable other violations under our Community Standards. This policy is intended to protect the security of user accounts and our services, and create a space where people can trust the people and communities they interact with.

Do not:

  • Use multiple Facebook accounts or share accounts between multiple people
  • Misuse Facebook or Instagram reporting systems to harass others
  • Conceal a Page’s purpose by misleading users about the ownership or control of that Page
  • Engage in or claim to engage in inauthentic behavior, which is defined as the use of Facebook or Instagram assets (accounts, Pages, Groups, or Events), to mislead people or Facebook:
    • About the identity, purpose, or origin of the entity that they represent.
    • About the popularity of Facebook or Instagram content or assets.
    • About the purpose of an audience or community.
    • About the source or origin of content.
    • To evade enforcement under our Community Standards.

For the following Community Standards, we require additional information and/or context to enforce:

  • We do not allow entities to engage in, or claim to engage in Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior, defined as the use of multiple Facebook or Instagram assets, working in concert to engage in Inauthentic Behavior (as defined above), where the use of fake accounts is central to the operation
  • We do not allow entities to engage in, or claim to engage in foreign or government interference, which is Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior conducted on behalf of a foreign or government actor.
  • We do not allow governments that have instituted sustained blocks of social media to use their official departments, agencies, and embassies to deny the use of force or violent events in the context of an attack against the territorial integrity of another state in violation of Article 2(4) of the UN charter.

User experiences

See some examples of what enforcement looks like for people on Facebook, such as: what it looks like to report something you don’t think should be on Facebook, to be told you’ve violated our Community Standards and to see a warning screen over certain content.

Note: We’re always improving, so what you see here may be slightly outdated compared to what we currently use.

Data

Content actioned decreased from 39.5 million pieces of content in Q1 2020 to 35.7 million in Q2 2020, as a result of temporary workforce changes due to COVID-19. Our proactive rate remained similar across both quarters.

Accounts actioned

Number of pieces of violating accounts we took action on

Proactive rate

Percentage of violating accounts we found before people reported it

Accounts actioned

Number of pieces of violating accounts we took action on

Proactive rate

Percentage of violating accounts we found before people reported it

Reporting
1
Universal entry point

We have an option to report, whether it’s on a post, a comment, a story, a message or something else.

2
Get started

We help people report things that they don’t think should be on our platform.

3
Select a problem

We ask people to tell us more about what’s wrong. This helps us send the report to the right place.

4
Report submitted

After these steps, we submit the report. We also lay out what people should expect next.

Post-report communication
1
Update via notifications

After we’ve reviewed the report, we’ll send the reporting user a notification.

2
More detail in the Support Inbox

We’ll share more details about our review decision in the Support Inbox. We’ll notify people that this information is there and send them a link to it.

3
Appeal option

If people think we got the decision wrong, they can request another review.

4
Post-appeal communication

We’ll send a final response after we’ve re-reviewed the content, again to the Support Inbox.

Takedown experience
1
Immediate notification

When someone posts something that doesn't follow our rules, we’ll tell them.

2
Additional context

We’ll also address common misperceptions and explain why we made the decision to enforce.

3
Policy Explanation

We’ll give people easy-to-understand explanations about the relevant rule.

4
Option for review

If people disagree with the decision, they can ask for another review and provide more information.

5
Final decision

We set expectations about what will happen after the review has been submitted.

Warning screens
1
Warning screens in context

We cover certain content in News Feed and other surfaces, so people can choose whether to see it.

2
More information

In this example, we give more context on why we’ve covered the photo with more context from independent fact-checkers

Enforcement

We have the same policies around the world, for everyone on Facebook.

Review teams

Our global team of over 15,000 reviewers work every day to keep people on Facebook safe.

Stakeholder engagement

Outside experts, academics, NGOs and policymakers help inform the Facebook Community Standards.

Get help with inauthentic behavior

Learn what you can do if you see something on Facebook that goes against our Community Standards.