Meta to lift ban on bare breasts

Instagram and Facebook parent Meta is to lift the ban on showing bare breasts on its social media channels, in a bid to give clarity on its nudity policies.

An advisory board have said women and trans and nonbinary people have to right to express their bodies in the same way as men “so that it is governed by clear criteria that respect international human rights standards”.

Meta has long censored exposed breasts, from women breastfeeding to non-sexual imagery of female torsos. A hashtag campaign #FreetheNipple began as early as 2013.

The social media giant’s Oversight Board, which consists of independent academics, journalists and politicians to advise on policy, said “the old policy is based on a binary view of gender and a distinction between male and female bodies. We are constantly evolving our policies to help make our platforms safer for everyone.”

Meta stated: “We know more can be done to support the LGBTQIA+ community, and that means working with experts and LGBTQIA+ advocacy organisations on a range of issues and product improvements.”