14 DAY TRIAL // In an attempt to make Instagram a safer place for “inspiration and expression,” the company has released an announcement letting everyone know that they have updated the rules regarding the content users are allowed to upload.
However, the changes announced are not that radical, especially since the company has not made any major adjustments to its set of guidelines since launch.
Given that various social websites have updated their nudity rules in light of recent worrying cases of revenge porn, it was only natural for the Facebook-owned company to come up with something similar.
While the updated rules clearly state that pictures of “sexual intercourse, genitals, and close-ups of fully nude buttocks” are strictly prohibited, when it comes to female nipples, it seems that only “some” images are banned.
No major changes have been announced
“We’re not changing any of the policies,” Jackson Colaco, director of public policy for Instagram said. But the company has “added in detail around questions we’ve gotten over and over, and into places where [users] needed more information,” Washington Post reports.
Although it might be a bit unexpected from a company owned by Facebook, Instagram is more permissive when it comes to what kind of photos you are allowed to share. The social-networking service is perfectly fine with post-mastectomy scarring and women breastfeeding.
Furthermore, they announced that even hate speech is allowed, as long as it is “being shared to challenge or to raise awareness,” but you have to be very specific about what content you are relaying.
Earlier this month, Instagram got involved in a controversy after removing a woman’s picture and claiming that it did not follow their security guidelines.
The photo in question was of a woman showing her clothes and bed after her period.
Many people (mostly women) disagreed with Instagram’s decision to take down the photo, and because of the backlash, the company apologized and declared that they had removed the image by accident.
Also, Instagram emphasized the importance of uploading authentic content in order to avoid copyright and trademark issues, and even getting your account suspended for breaking the rules.