If you’ve noticed that some or all of your content is being blocked on Facebook, there are a few possible reasons why this may be happening. Facebook has content policies in place to maintain a safe and positive environment for users, so content that goes against these policies may be blocked or removed. Understanding the most common reasons for blocked content can help you avoid violations in the future.
Your content goes against Facebook’s Community Standards
Facebook has an extensive set of Community Standards that outline what types of content are and are not allowed on the platform. These standards cover topics like violence, hate speech, nudity, and more. If your content goes against any of these rules, Facebook may block it from being viewed by other users.
For example, if you share an image or video that shows excessive violence or gore, it will likely be removed for violating Facebook’s policies around graphic content. The same goes for any content that contains hate speech, bullying, harassment, or threats against others. Even if you didn’t intend for your post to be harmful, it will still be taken down if it doesn’t follow the rules.
How to avoid violations
- Carefully review Facebook’s Community Standards to understand what is and isn’t allowed
- Avoid posting graphic, obscene, demeaning, or dangerous content
- Don’t engage in hate speech, bullying, or harassment against protected groups or individuals
- Make sure any shared content does not contain or promote violence, criminal activity, or terrorism
Your content goes against Facebook’s advertising policies
If you’ve tried to promote or advertise content on Facebook that ended up being blocked, the cause may be that it goes against Facebook’s advertising policies. These policies outline what can and cannot be advertised across Facebook’s services.
Some specific types of content prohibited from advertising include:
- Adult content or services
- Illegal, prescription, or recreational drugs
- Weapons, ammunition, or explosives
- Misleading claims or scams
- Sensational content
- Politics and issues
- Restricted goods
So if your ad touches on any of these prohibited categories, Facebook will reject it and prevent it from being displayed to users. The same is true if your ad uses improper targeting or discriminates against users based on protected characteristics.
How to avoid violations
- Review Facebook’s advertising policies thoroughly before creating any ads
- Avoid promoting banned products or services, like drugs and weapons
- Don’t use targeting options that discriminate against users based on race, religion, ethnicity, etc.
- Make sure your ads and landing pages don’t contain false claims or try to trick users
- Have truthful and transparent ads for legitimate products and services
Your account or Page has been flagged for suspicious activity
In some cases, Facebook may actually block all content from your account or Page if you’ve been flagged for suspicious activity. This can happen if Facebook detects repeated community standards violations, potential cybersecurity threats, or other issues associated with your account.
For example, if you operate a Facebook Page that receives multiple violations for sharing dangerous misinformation, hate speech, or spam, Facebook may temporarily restrict your ability to post any content from that Page. The same thing can happen to personal accounts that demonstrate suspicious behavior.
How to fix account restrictions
- Remove any content that violates Facebook’s rules and standards
- Change your account password and review login locations to ensure your account security
- Appeal account restrictions through Facebook’s Help Center
- Wait for restrictions to be lifted before trying to post again
Your content goes against Facebook’s intellectual property rules
You may find your content blocked if Facebook detects that it infringes on someone else’s intellectual property rights. Their rules prohibit sharing content that you don’t have the right to use.
Some examples include:
- Uploading clips from movies, TV shows, or music you don’t own
- Sharing photos or artwork without permission from the original creator
- Posting content that uses trademarks, logos, or brand names in violation of their terms of use
Rights holders can report intellectual property violations to Facebook, resulting in blocked content. Even unintentional or fair use violations may still be taken down.
How to avoid IP violations
- Only share content you have created yourself or have explicit rights to use
- Properly credit any content created by someone else
- Don’t use trademarks or brand names without authorization
- Review Facebook’s intellectual property policies to understand what is allowed
You’ve been geo-blocked from posting certain content
In some instances, users may find themselves geo-blocked from sharing content that is considered appropriate in one country but violates the laws and regulations of another country. Facebook complies with regional restrictions on content in order to adhere to local laws.
For example, Germany prohibits denying or trivializing the Holocaust. So if you try to share Holocaust denial content from within Germany, Facebook will geo-block that content to comply with German law. Other topics like nudity, gambling, or political commentary may also be geo-blocked in certain countries.
How to manage geo-blocking
- Understand the content laws and restrictions that apply to any country you are posting from
- Avoid generating content that goes against regional community standards and laws
- Use geo-targeting tools to exclude restricted locations when promoting content
- Connect with users and share permissible content unique to each geo-region
Your content has been inaccurately flagged
In a few cases, Facebook’s systems may inaccurately flag content as a violation when it does not actually go against their rules. This can happen if their automated moderation tools make an error in judgment or if human moderators misinterpret the context of a post.
For example, an image posted for artistic or educational reasons may get incorrectly flagged as adult content. Or commentary meant to condemn hate speech could get mislabeled as a violation itself. These errors do occur from time to time given the massive volume of content Facebook deals with.
How to resolve inaccurate flagging
- Double check that your content does not violate any policies
- Submit an appeal explaining the mistaken flagging
- Provide additional context on your content’s intent and purpose
- Highlight the educational, artistic, or social value of the content
- Exercise patience as incorrect flags can take time to overturn
What to do if your content gets blocked
If you find your Facebook content blocked, here are some steps you can take:
- Review Facebook’s Community Standards, advertising policies, and other guidelines to understand why it may have been blocked.
- Remove any content that clearly violates established policies.
- Submit appeals through Facebook’s Help Center for any content you feel was blocked in error.
- Provide additional context to content moderators if necessary to demonstrate the intent behind your posts.
- Temporarily stop posting problematic content until any restrictions on your account are lifted.
- Consider using Facebook’s tools to geo-target or age-restrict content that may be objectionable in certain regions or to certain age groups.
- Boost awareness around Facebook’s rules and standards to avoid violations in the future.
Conclusion
Facebook aims to provide a safe, trustworthy environment for communication. To uphold these standards, they enforce guidelines on acceptable content through blocking mechanisms. Being mindful of Facebook’s rules and avoiding clear violations are the best ways to prevent your content from being blocked. But if you do feel your content has been unfairly targeted, be sure to leverage the appeals process.