Instagram is OK with a little nudity, preferably at a distance
Photo-sharing site Instagram has updated its community guidelines to make it clear what sort of images are acceptable. If you were hoping to use your account to supply your followers with a stream of pornography pics, you're out of luck, sadly. Nudity is -- for the most part -- out (we don’t allow nudity on Instagram), including "close-ups of fully nude buttocks"; distant shot of butts are, seemingly OK, as are close-ups of partially clothed cheeks.
Whether we're talking about Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or any of the other countless social networks out there, users frequently fall foul of acceptable content guidelines. Images of nudity and violence are frequently complained about and Instagram's latest guidelines now make it abundantly clear what’s OK and what's not.
As on Facebook, photographs of breastfeeding mothers have been a breeding ground for arguments. Instagram is keen to nip this in the bud. Photos of "women actively breastfeeding" are permitted as are shots of post-mastectomy scarring. It's hard to imagine that there have been many complaints about photographs of naked sculpture or paintings, but Instagram has now made it clear that such shots are fine. Given the general stance on nudity, it probably goes without saying that "content that show[s] sexual intercourse [and] genitals" are off-limits -- and we're not just talking about photos and videos, but also "digitally-created content".
The nudity of children is something that has to be handled delicately. Here Instagram doesn’t have a hard and fast rule -- images of naked children are not covered by a blanket ban. However, Instagram does say:
For safety reasons, there are times when we may remove images that show nude or partially-nude children. Even when this content is shared with good intentions, it could be used by others in unanticipated ways.
There are a number of other topics that are banned, including "offering sexual services, buying or selling illegal or prescription drugs, as well as promoting recreational drug use". The updated guidelines also warn that "videos of intense, graphic violence" may be removed even if they are newsworthy in an attempt to keep the site suitable for everyone.
Instagram may have made its rules slightly clearer, but it almost certainly won't stop people violating them -- or pushing them to breaking point to test the limits.
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