Facebook Community Standards
Policies that outline what is and isn't allowed on the Facebook app.
Instagram Community Guidelines
Policies that outline what is and isn't allowed on the Instagram app.
Meta Advertising Standards
Policies for ad content and business assets.
Other policies
Other policies that apply to Meta technologies.
How Meta improves
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Our approach to the opioid epidemic
How we support communities in the face of the opioid epidemic.
Our approach to elections
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Our approach to misinformation
How we work with independent fact-checkers, and more, to identify and take action on misinformation.
Our approach to newsworthy content
How we assess content for newsworthiness.
Our approach to Facebook Feed ranking
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Comprehensive access to public data from Facebook and Instagram
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Comprehensive and searchable database of all ads currently running across Meta technologies
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Additional tools for in-depth research on Meta technologies and programs
Community Standards Enforcement Report
Quarterly report on how well we're doing at enforcing our policies on the Facebook app and Instagram.
Intellectual Property
Report on how well we're helping people protect their intellectual property.
Government Requests for User Data
Report on government request for people's data.
Content Restrictions Based on Local Law
Report on when we restrict content that's reported to us as violating local law.
Internet Disruptions
Report on intentional internet restrictions that limit people's ability to access the internet.
Widely Viewed Content Report
Quarterly report on what people see on Facebook, including the content that receives the widest distribution during the quarter.
Regulatory and Other Transparency Reports
Download current and past regulatory reports for Facebook and Instagram.
Authentic Identity Representation
Policy details
Change log
CHANGE LOG
Change log
Today
Current version
Oct 9, 2024
Jul 31, 2024
Authenticity is the cornerstone of our community. We believe that authenticity helps create a community where people are accountable to each other, and to Meta, in meaningful ways. We want to allow for the many ways that identity is expressed across our global community, while preventing impersonation and identity misrepresentation. To maintain a safe and open environment where people can trust one another and build community, we do not allow for the creation of accounts or profiles that are created or used to deceive others.
On Facebook, we require people to create one account using the name they go by in everyday life that represents their authentic identity. We created Additional Profiles to help people express different parts of their identity, such as their interests or businesses.
- Belong to underage children
- Impersonate another person or entity by:
- Using their image(s), name, or likeness with the aim to deceive others
- Speaking in the voice of another person or entity for whom the user is not authorized to do so (e.g. by creating a Page or Profile)
- Engage in identity misrepresentation to mislead or deceive others, evade enforcement, or violate our Community Standards. We consider a number of factors when assessing misleading identity misrepresentation, such as:
- Repeated or significant changes to identity details, such as name or age
- Misleading profile information, such as bio details and profile location
- Using stock imagery
- Use a name containing violations of our Community Standards.
- Provide a false date of birth
- Use a name that is not the authentic name you go by in everyday life
- Create a single account that represents or is used by more than one person
- Create or maintain multiple Facebook accounts
- Create an account that represents a non-human entity, such as a business, pet, or fictional character
- Maintain empty profiles with prolonged dormancy
User experiencesSee 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.
Reporting
1
Universal entry point
We have an option to report, whether it's on a post, comment, story, message, profile 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
Check your report
Make sure the details are correct before you click Submit. It’s important that the problem selected truly reflects what was posted.
5
Report submitted
After these steps, we submit the report. We also lay out what people should expect next.
6
More options
We remove things if they go against our Community Standards, but you can also Unfollow, Block or Unfriend to avoid seeing posts in future.
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.
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 account integrity and authentic identityLearn what you can do if you see something on Facebook that goes against our Community Standards.
