Is Facebook banning military emblems? Fact Check

Messages claims that Facebook is actively banning military emblems from appearing on their website. Many such messages urge users to share them to take a stand against Facebook’s apparent ban.

Popular examples include the claim that Facebook is banning the Marine Corps emblem and Australian Anzac day emblems.

Messages that purport Facebook is banning a certain type of post or a certain type of content because the site “finds it offensive” are common, and often go viral because they urge readers to share such posts as a type of protest against the ban. However such messages are rarely true, and are often used as a tool by those engaging in social media ‘like-farming’ or those wishing to spread hateful and divisive propaganda.

Messages claiming Facebook is actively banning military emblems is just one variant of this popular hoax, and just like most other variants, it’s demonstrably untrue. An example of some of these rumours can be seen below.

Facebook said displaying the United States Marine Corps emblem did not conform to their standards….. share this and cover Facebook with this beloved emblem… like & share

Apparently Facebook feel that military emblems are inappropriate images to be posted on here please like and share to show support for our Armed Forces, or put on your own Armed Forces emblem.

Facebook Doesn’t think Military emblems are appropriate… So please share show your support for Our Military

Such rumours are demonstrably untrue since Facebook is full of such emblems for those inclined to take the few seconds to perform such a search. Not only that, but there are countless pages, groups and events that contain military emblems as their cover photos, profile photos or feature heavily in their feeds.

Not only that, but Facebook is also bustling with posts containing images of such emblems that simultaneously claim they are being purged. Something that is patently false since many of these posts are years old, been shared thousands of times yet still remain on the social networking site unhindered.

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The claim that Facebook is banning certain content and users must share it is an old, well-used ploy. Similar rumours have previously spread online that claimed Facebook were banning things like references to Christmas, images of the nativity scene, images of saluting veterans, England football posts, national flags and much, much more. We’ve dedicated an entire post to this type of propaganda and like-farming phenomenon in our post here.

Please don’t let yourself get exploited in this way. Facebook only ban content that contravenes their terms of service. That doesn’t include military emblems.