Facebook has extensive community standards that outline what is and is not allowed on the platform. Violating these standards can result in content being removed or accounts being disabled. Here are some ways to know if you have violated Facebook’s community standards:
You Received a Notification from Facebook
If you have violated one of their standards, Facebook will likely send you a notification letting you know. This notification could come via email or as an alert on the Facebook website or app. The notice should specify which standard was violated and may include details on the content in violation. If action has been taken, such as removing a post, the notice will explain this as well. Receiving one of these warnings is a clear sign that you broke one of Facebook’s rules.
Your Content Was Removed
If you find that your content, like a post, photo, video or comment, was taken down from Facebook, this means it went against their policies. Common reasons content gets removed include:
- Nudity or sexual content
- Hate speech, bullying or harassment
- Graphic violence
- Spam or misleading information
- Infringing on intellectual property rights
Whenever something you shared gets deleted from Facebook, check any notifications you received to determine which guideline it violated. The removal of your content is a clear sign you broke the rules.
You Have Been Blocked or Banned
In some cases, violating Facebook’s standards can result in your account being banned either temporarily or permanently. A temporary ban will prevent you from accessing your account for a set period of time, such as 24 hours or 30 days. You will be notified if you have been temporarily banned. A permanent ban disables your account indefinitely.
Some signs your account has been banned include not being able to log in or access your profile, posts and information. Your account may have been permanently disabled if you cannot find it when searching on Facebook. Getting banned means you seriously went against Facebook’s policies.
You Are Restricted from Commenting or Posting
Less severe than a total ban, some policy violations will result in restrictions on your ability to post or comment for a period of time. For example, repeatedly sharing clickbait content may lead to temporary restrictions on your posting ability. You will get a warning notification if such restrictions have been placed on your account.
You Are Unable to Promote Posts or Ads
If you regularly promote posts or run Facebook ads, your ability to do so may be revoked as a penalty for violating their standards. Attempting to boost a post or create an ad only to find the options are no longer available to you is an indicator your account has been reprimanded in some way by Facebook’s systems.
You Have an Excessive Number of Violations
Facebook employs a system of “strikes” where if you accumulate a certain number of violations over a period of time, your account will face escalating consequences. For regular users this may mean temporary restrictions to bans, while pages and accounts with large audiences may be unpublished or disabled outright after repeat offenses.
If you have received an unusual number of warnings and penalties from Facebook in a short timeframe, you likely crossed the line too many times. Enough strikes against you is a clear sign you broke their rules one too many times.
Your Page or Group Was Unpublished
For those who run Facebook pages or groups, having your page or group unpublished with no warning is a strong indicator you violated their policies. Pages with large audiences typically get more leeway with content moderation than regular accounts. So if your page gets taken down outright, it means you shared prohibited content.
You Are Unable to Appeal Actions on Your Account
If Facebook takes action against your account, you will normally have the option to appeal the action if you think it was a mistake. However, in severe cases like hate speech, dangerous organizations or sexual exploitation, your ability to appeal may be revoked. If Facebook has removed the option for you to appeal any actions, it is because you have broken their most serious rules and standards repeatedly.
Your Friends or Connections Were Removed or Banned
Facebook may remove tags of people connected to accounts that violated community standards. If people you regularly interact with or tag on Facebook routinely disappear from the platform, it likely means they are being banned and you may be at risk as well.
You Are Prompted to Review the Community Standards
If Facebook detects you are skirting their policies, they may prompt you to review the community standards thoroughly. Being asked to re-read the rules is an indication that you need to exercise more caution in following their guidelines.
Conclusion
Facebook provides notifications, warnings and account restrictions if you break their content policies. Paying attention to any sanctions your account faces is the best way to know if you crossed the line. If in doubt, thoroughly review Facebook’s community standards again to avoid future violations.