Facebook and Instagram have reportedly decided to lift their strict rule that had banned photos of bare breasts after a decade-long 'Free the Nipple campaign.
According to a report by The Guardian, Meta's oversight board has called for an overhaul to the company's rules banning bare-chested women- but not men.
The oversight board on January 17 recommended that Meta needs to change its adult nudity and sexual activity community standard "so that it is governed by clear criteria that respect international human rights standards".
Meta is most likely to follow the recommendations of the board.
In its recommendation, the board said that "the [old] policy is based on a binary view of gender and a distinction between male and female bodies," which makes rules about baring nipples "unclear" for those who do not identify as women.
The board says that Meta should "define clear, objective, rights-respecting criteria" when it comes to moderating nudity "so that all people are treated in a manner consistent with international human rights standards".
The oversight board, which includes academics, rights experts and lawyers, was created by the company to rule on a small slice of thorny content moderation appeals, but it can also advise on-site policies.
Meta's strict nudity policy has been a subject of intense debate.
The movement began in 2000 was started to de-sexualise the image of breasts. It went mainstream in 2012 after Facebook took down clips of actor/director Lina Esco's documentary Free the Nipple.
The move was highly criticised, and many protests took place.
In 2018, CEO Mark Zuckerburg tried to justify Meta's action. He said, "It's easier to build an AI system to detect a nipple than what is hate speech."
