Facebook is the world’s largest social media platform, with over 2.9 billion monthly active users as of the fourth quarter of 2021. With so many users, Facebook inevitably hosts content that some may find objectionable or against its community standards. When users come across such content, one option is to report the post in hopes that Facebook will review it and potentially take it down.
What happens when you report a Facebook post?
When you report a Facebook post, it triggers a review process by Facebook’s content moderation teams. Here is a quick overview of what happens:
- You click the three dots in the upper right corner of the post and select “Report post.”
- You choose a reason for reporting: nudity, hate speech, false information, etc.
- The post gets flagged for Facebook to review.
- Facebook’s content reviewers will analyze the post to determine if it violates Facebook’s Community Standards.
- If it is found to violate standards, Facebook may remove the post. Otherwise, the post may stay up.
- You will get a notification on whether action was taken against the post you reported.
So in summary, reporting a post prompts Facebook to review it, but does not guarantee the post will be taken down. The outcome depends on whether the content is deemed to violate Facebook’s policies.
What types of posts may get taken down?
Facebook outlines its Community Standards on what is and isn’t allowed on its platform. Here are some examples of post types that may get removed if reported:
- Nudity/sexual activity – Photos, videos, illustrations, or text depicting nudity or sexual acts.
- Hate speech – Degrading attacks on people based on protected characteristics like race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, sex, gender, gender identity, or disability or serious disability.
- Violent threats – Threats that could lead to death or serious injury, stalking, and promotion of or statements supporting acts of violence.
- Graphic violence – Gratuitous violence or celebrations of violence.
- False news – Inaccurate or misleading information presented as fact.
- Scams – Content aimed at tricking people out of money or personal information.
Posts that contain these types of content stand a higher chance of being removed if reported to Facebook. However, context matters in content moderation, so it still depends on the judgment of Facebook’s reviewers.
What factors influence whether a reported post gets taken down?
Facebook uses a combination of human reviewers and artificial intelligence to assess posts that get reported. Here are some key factors that influence whether Facebook takes action against a post:
- The post’s perceived intent – Is it meant to harm, deceive, or harass?
- The post’s context – Words or images can mean different things depending on context.
- Applicable local laws – Content illegal under local laws is likely to be removed.
- Post reach – Posts with more reach may get greater scrutiny.
- User history – Repeat offenders may face stricter consequences.
- Public interest – Posts receiving significant media coverage or of political importance may stay up.
Facebook states that context matters when evaluating reported posts and that they take a “careful, nuanced approach” in their enforcement. They aim to balance free expression alongside safety and voice concerns around censorship. This means not everything offensive or controversial will necessarily get taken down.
Does Facebook always remove content if it receives enough reports?
The number of user reports a post receives can factor into Facebook’s enforcement decisions, but does not guarantee a post will be taken down.
Facebook has indicated they are more likely to take action on posts that receive a high volume of user reports. However, they have also said that the number of reports alone does not determine a post’s fate.
Their reviewers still judge each post on its individual merits, applicable policies, and overall context. So a highly reported post may remain up if it does not clearly violate standards, while a post with fewer reports could still get removed for egregious content.
In cases involving public figures, Facebook also considers if there is a public interest in allowing more open discourse even if some content is offensive. So controversial political posts, for instance, are often kept up even when reported by many users.
How effective is reporting content on Facebook?
Facebook’s enforcement of its policies when content gets reported has long been criticized as inconsistent and allowing harmful posts to remain. However, here are some examples that provide evidence of Facebook’s response in certain situations:
- A 2019 study found that Facebook quickly removed most reported posts containing hate speech, showing improvements in enforcement.
- During times of crisis like wars or elections, Facebook has been more aggressive about taking down misinformation when reported by users and fact checkers.
- In 2021, Facebook removed over 20 million pieces of content related to COVID-19 misinformation and changed algorithms to stop viral spread.
- Facebook’s Oversight Board has overturned some content takedowns, forcing the platform to reinstate posts in cases involving free expression around political issues.
So while Facebook’s content moderation is imperfect, reporting content can often succeed in taking down offensive, dangerous, or policy-violating posts. The impact depends on the post type, level of policy violation, public profile, and Facebook’s evolving priorities.
What happens if you report a post wrongly or maliciously?
Facebook realizes that some users may report posts out of misunderstanding or malintent rather than genuine concerns. However, the effects of wrongful or malicious reporting appear to be minimal in most cases.
If you report a post that clearly does not violate Facebook’s rules, it likely will not get taken down just based on that report. Facebook’s content reviewers evaluate each report and should be able to recognize if no policy violation exists.
If a user repeatedly reports non-violating posts in bad faith, Facebook may limit their ability to continue reporting posts. But a few isolated cases of inaccurate or malicious reporting should not impact accounts.
The only effects on someone who has a post wrongly reported against them could be temporary. For example:
- The post may enter the review queue and be inaccessible until cleared.
- If enough reports build up, posting abilities could get automatically disabled temporarily.
- The user may receive a notification that a post was reported but found not to violate Facebook policies.
However, as long as the posts do not actually break rules, the user’s account should not face penalties for others reporting their content inaccurately.
Can you appeal if a post gets wrongly removed?
If Facebook removes one of your posts and you believe it was done in error, you can appeal the decision through a few options:
- Click the “Request Review” button that appears once your content is taken down.
- File an appeal through the Help Center after receiving notification of a post removal.
- Use the “Feedback” option that becomes available if you try to access removed content.
When you appeal a post removal, Facebook’s content reviewers take another look at your post and the original decision. If they determine the post did not violate Community Standards, Facebook may reinstate the content and admit their mistake.
However, Facebook states that in many cases the reviewers uphold the original removal decision on appeal. The company defends this by saying reviewers already heavily debated borderline content calls before acting. But users can keep appealing removals if they believe an egregious error occurred.
If no violation is found but your post remains removed, you can also directly contact Facebook to further press your appeal. But in most cases, the initial appeals process will confirm whether moderators made the right call.
What steps can you take if a post with personal threats or harassment stays up?
Facebook prohibits violent and harassing content but does not always remove it quickly when reported. If you are the target of threats or harassment and reported Facebook posts stay up, experts recommend additional steps such as:
- Report the posts again and emphasize your personal safety fears when you describe the violation.
- Directly contact the poster to ask them to remove the content.
- File a report through Facebook Support to spur further review.
- Use the social media management tool Limits to automatically hide violating posts.
- Temporarily suspend your account if the situation becomes too overwhelming.
- Contact local law enforcement if you feel there is a credible threat to your safety.
While Facebook should act quickly on clear threats and harassment, taking the above extra steps increases pressure on them to handle unresolved cases and protects your well-being if posts stay up longer than they should.
What are some alternatives to reporting a post on Facebook?
If you come across an objectionable Facebook post but decide not to report it, here are some other actions you can take:
- Unfollow or block the poster – This prevents you from seeing future content from them.
- Filter specific words – You can choose to automatically hide posts containing certain words or phrases.
- Adjust News Feed preferences – Shape what posts you see by prioritizing content from close connections.
- Provide feedback – Leave constructive criticism on why the post is inappropriate or inaccurate.
- Report to third parties – For serious threats or illegal activity, reporting to law enforcement may be called for.
- Contact Facebook – Reach out to Facebook directly instead of reporting within the app.
While reporting a post can be effective for bringing content violations to Facebook’s attention, other options allow you to curate your own experience and engage directly with posters when appropriate. This allows you to shape the conversations you see while avoiding over-reporting of minor issues.
Conclusion
Reporting posts is an important tool Facebook users have to flag potentially violating content for review. While it does not guarantee a post will get taken down, reporting can prompt Facebook to evaluate posts against its policies and take action in many cases.
However, because human judgment is involved, enforcement is imperfect and dependent on context. Malicious reporting appears to have minimal effects, but appeals are available if content is wrongly removed. People also have alternatives to reporting that allow curating their own experiences.
In summary, reporting posts plays a key role in content moderation on Facebook, even if its effects are not uniform. Having an informed understanding of what happens when you report and why some posts stay up despite reports allows users to have realistic expectations. Overall, reporting gives users some influence over the types of content allowed on the platform.