Community Standards
Introduction
These standards are based on feedback from people and the advice of experts in fields like technology, public safety and human rights. To ensure everyone’s voice is valued, we take great care to create standards that include different views and beliefs, especially from people and communities that might otherwise be overlooked or marginalized.
Every day, people use Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Threads to share their experiences, connect with friends and family, and build communities. Our services enable billions of people to freely express themselves across countries and cultures and in dozens of languages.
Meta recognizes how important it is for Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Threads to be places where people feel empowered to communicate, and we take our role seriously in keeping abuse off the service. That’s why we developed standards for what is and isn’t allowed on these services.
Please note that the US English version of the Community Standards reflects the most up to date set of the policies and should be used as the primary document.
Our commitment to voice
The goal of our Community Standards is to create a place for expression and give people a voice. Meta wants people to be able to talk openly about the issues that matter to them, whether through written comments, photos, music, or other artistic mediums, even if some may disagree or find them objectionable. In some cases, we allow content—which would otherwise go against our standards—if it’s newsworthy and in the public interest. We do this only after weighing the public interest value against the risk of harm, and we look to international human rights standards to make these judgments. In other cases, we may remove content that uses ambiguous or implicit language when additional context allows us to reasonably understand that the content goes against our standards.
Our commitment to expression is paramount, but we recognize the internet creates new and increased opportunities for abuse. For these reasons, when we limit expression, we do it in service of one or more of the following values:
AUTHENTICITY
We want to make sure the content people see is authentic. We believe that authenticity creates a better environment for sharing, and that’s why we don’t want people using our services to misrepresent who they are or what they’re doing.
SAFETY
We’re committed to making Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Threads safe places. We remove content that could contribute to a risk of harm to the physical security of persons. Content that threatens people has the potential to intimidate, exclude or silence others and isn’t allowed on our services.
PRIVACY
We’re committed to protecting personal privacy and information. Privacy gives people the freedom to be themselves, choose how and when to share on our services and connect more easily.
DIGNITY
We believe that all people are equal in dignity and rights. We expect that people will respect the dignity of others and not harass or degrade others.
Community Standards
Our Community Standards apply to everyone, all around the world, and to all types of content, including AI-generated content.
Each section of our Community Standards starts with a “Policy Rationale” that sets out the aims of the policy followed by specific policy lines that outline:
Content that's not allowed; and
Content that requires additional information or context to enforce on, content that is allowed with a warning screen or content that is allowed but can only be viewed by adults aged 18 and older.