Facebook & Twitter (as of December 18, 2017) censorship operates in a highly sensitive and low-quality way. This is because they are websites torn between appealing to every person in the world as a social network and appealing to niche markets with different ways of socializing with others. If a person shows a swastika (any kind of swastika; not simply nazi) in a post, it is subject to being reported by someone and the person who posted it can be banned or suspended from the website for a long time, as well as having the post removed. Because of the nature of Facebook and Twitter, constant posting is very important, and being banned from any of the two websites is a very difficult thing to get around. Furthermore, creating more than one account of operation from Facebook or Twitter is illegal, especially as a means of getting around the block.
Sensitive subjects for Facebook & Twitter's banning system
- Words. There are several words that Facebook and Twitter automatically detects in posts. If someone reports them, the posts (even images) containing them can be banned completely from Facebook or suspended from Twitter. These words are:
To avoid getting banned or suspended, censor part of these words (particularly the vowel to avoid sensitivity).
- Swastikas. Facebook and Twitter's reporting system is very sensitive about Swastikas. Do not post them under any circumstances or someone will report them. The post will be taken down if it contains a Swastika. Instead of posting a swastika, to avoid getting banned or suspended, post something else in its place. A popular option for this is a Facebook "f" () or the Twitter bird.
- Any other nazi memorabilia. The Iron Cross and the Nazi eagle are other sensitive symbols. Replace them with something to avoid getting it removed. Signs of the Nazi "heil" (raising the arm at a 135º angle with the hand flat in the same direction) are very sensitive as well. Especially sensitive is content related to concentration camps. If images of Nazi trains, nazi prisoners and other similar content is posted, it is sensitive for reporting and deletion.
- Active pro-Nazi content. If an active propaganda post compelling people to deny the Holocaust or other Nazi atrocities is posted, it WILL be reported and removed.
- Anything referencing the Confederate States. The Confederate Naval flag is difficult to detect when it is used in a countryball, but a straight image of it will be detected by it. The more high-quality and visible the flag is, the more any pages containing the word "confederate" that contain sensitive content within them related to the Confederate States of America will likely be reported and subsequently removed. To avoid getting banned or suspended, avoid posting actively racist content, the Confederate Naval flag (and any similar variations), and name your page something like "CSAball" instead of "Confederateball".
- Other Nazi-related content. Facebook and Twitter's content-monitoring system is designed to learn from what it removes. If an active Nazi group posts something and it is reported/deleted (especially if the entire group is deleted), even if it is obscure, then Facebook or Twitter will detect what was posted and be able to detect if another page posted the same images. If a person posts any images (particularly exact images) that a Nazi group once posted and they have strikes against them, then they are subject to getting reported/removed from Facebook or Twitter.
- Anything referencing ISIS in an obvious or positive manner. Daesh, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, is a terrorist group, and not to be mentioned lightly on Facebook or Twitter according to their policies on public content. Take the same route you would with the Confederate State flag - do not post it obviously. It will be slightly more recognizable in ball form, so also be cautious of that. Furthermore, posting any obviously propagandic content will be caught doubtlessly by the content filters on Facebook or Twitter, and will get removed, and you banned/suspended.
- Anything referencing any active terrorist group (especially Islamic-oriented) in an obvious or positive manner. No-brainer.
Avoiding bans
- Do not post content featuring nudity.
- Do not post any content featuring living things being hurt/killed.
- Do not post any actively racist content.
- Do not post any content featuring swastikas.
- Do not post any content featuring iron crosses.
- Do not post any content featuring Nazi eagles.
- Do not post any content featuring any vivid Confederate Naval flags.
Facebook & Twitter's ban system and Polandball
Polandball content, even when covering these topics, can be very difficult to ban. The language that Polandball uses is very niche-oriented (being spelled and phrased unusually) and is usually undetected by Facebook or Twitter's reporting system. Countryballs are used instead of flags, and due to the spherical shape of the countryball, catching the original flag in the countryball is difficult. This way, Confederate Naval flags in countryballs are usually un-detected (but not always). Furthermore, the nature of Polandball is just as much anti-racist as much as it is racy. It was conceived to make fun of racists on the internet, not endorse them. Sometimes, Facebook or Twitter notices this and does not remove the content, instead recognizing it as satire.
The most common elements that are banned in Polandball are symbols. Swastikas, Iron Crosses, Nazi eagles and occasionally Confederate symbols can be reported and detected by Facebook's banning or Twitter's suspension system. Avoid posting these. Instead, post something that can be detected as a symbol for the symbol, such as a Facebook "f" () or a Twitter bird.
Other incidents of page removal are rare, but are achieved under greater success when more people report them. To avoid getting any content removed in Polandball, follow all of the steps mentioned in this article.
Note
- ↑ Please use other nicknames when necessary, e,g, "Dolfy".
- As of December 18, 2017, most of these rules also apply to Twitter, as they are currently using the same method as Facebook when banning sensitive subjects.