Activists in UK inflate GIANT BREAST in front of Facebook HQ to protest nipple censorship

Dozens of women showed up in front of Facebook’s London HQ to inflate a giant breast featuring a realistic nipple. It was in protest of the social network’s censorship of photos of breast cancer survivors with nipple tattoos.

The protest was spearheaded by tattoo artist Vicky Martin, who specializes in 3D tattoos of areolas. Women who underwent a mastectomy as part of breast cancer treatment are her primary customers. However, Facebook’s content policy, which forbids images of naked female breasts, disallows Martin’s clients to share the results of her work on the social network.

At least that’s the signal that Martin got after Facebook took down her own page, which was the reason she and her supporters gathered in Brock Street on Friday. Facebook has since reversed its decision and told BBC news that it was done in error. This, however, didn’t stop the breast-inflating demonstration.

The network technically has exceptions from its no-nudity policy for educational, cultural or political images showing female breasts. But Facebook uses automatic algorithms to filter content and has repeatedly failed to correctly identify which photos should and should not be considered pornographic. The network has also been accused of being too slow and rigid in responding to complaints over improper takedowns.

Among the victims of Facebook’s overcautious nudity filters was the iconic ‘Napalm Girl’ photo from the Vietnam War, a Swedish firefighter who’d survived disfiguring face burns, numerous classical works of art, a Led Zeppelin album cover image and even a Christmas card featuring a robin redbreast.

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