--- description: Facebook clarified its community standards for posts on the platform in a post Monday title: Here's What You Can (and Can't) Post on Facebook image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt920365c055809ffc/69878317e20a875893a85836/facebook-feeling-fat-status-emoji.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Here's What You Can (and Can't) Post on Facebook ## Video: Facebook Is Planning Virtual Reality Apps For Everyone [Watch (HLS stream): Facebook Is Planning Virtual Reality Apps For Everyone](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ncI9ZLvX.m3u8) (1:49)  _Published 2015-02-18. Facebook wants all its users to be able to create and upload content for virtual reality systems such as Oculus Rift._  by [Justin Worland](/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent Mar 16, 2015 12:17 PM CUT  The Facebook Inc. logo is seen on an Apple Inc. iPhone in London, U.K., on May 14, 2012. The Facebook Inc. logo is seen on an Apple Inc. iPhone in London, U.K., on May 14, 2012.Bloomberg via Getty Images  by [Justin Worland](/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent Mar 16, 2015 12:17 PM CUT What constitutes hate speech? When does the portrayal of violence become the glorification of violence? Does a bare buttocks count as nudity? What about if it’s blurred? Thoughtful people may have different answers to these questions. After complaints mounted about unclear policies and inconsistent enforcement, Facebook now has answers for its 1.3 billion users. The company clarified its community standards for posts on the platform in a [post](https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2015/03/explaining-our-community-standards-and-approach-to-government-requests/ "undefined") Sunday. “It’s a challenge to maintain one set of standards that meets the needs of a diverse global community,” wrote head of global golicy management Monika Bickert and deputy general counsel Chris Sonderby. “For one thing, people from different backgrounds may have different ideas about what’s appropriate to share.” So here are a few things you should know: **Nudity** Facebook has never allowed nudity, but users have had difficulty [interpreting](http://time.com/2966530/coppertone-facebook-nudity-rules/ "undefined") what that means. Now the company says posts with “genitals or fully exposed buttocks” will be taken down. “Some images” of breasts are restricted if they show a nipple, but photos of women breastfeeding will always be ok. **Hate speech** Hate speech is pretty much always prohibited, unless you’re posting about hate speech to “challenge ideas, institutions, and practices.” If you do plan to post hate speech to educate your friends, make sure to “clearly indicate” that’s your goal or else risk having it taken down. Facebook also allows you to make make humorous posts about hate speech if you want to ridicule it. **Regulated goods (like drugs, alcohol and guns)** Facebook says “unauthorized dealers” cannot buy or sell marijuana and other drugs via the platform, which seems to still leave some ambiguity over who qualifies as authorized. Alcohol and guns are OK to market, but you can’t collect payment via Facebook tools. **Criminal activity** This is a no-brainer. You can’t promote a crime, threaten a public figure or participate in terrorist activity on Facebook. The site will turn you over to the authorities. _Read next:_ [_Facebook Is Facing a Massive Lawsuit Over Online Purchases Made by Kids_](http://time.com/3741644/facebook-online-purchases-kids-minors-lawsuit/?iid=time%5Freadnext "undefined") ### This Is What Your Facebook Profile Looked Like Over the Last 11 Years  The Original Facebook Group Page, 2004\. Before people realized how awesome pictures are. Courtesy of Facebook  Facebook Profile Page, 2005\. Back when Facebook looked a little bit like MySpace. Courtesy of Facebook  Facebook Profile Page Facelift, 2005\. The "the" is finally dropped. Courtesy of Facebook  Facebook Profile Page, 2006\. You no longer need to be reminded "this is you" at the top of your profile page. Courtesy of Facebook  Facebook Profile Page, 2007\. Every profile update still had to begin with "is," forcing you to talk about yourself in the third person. Courtesy of Facebook  Facebook Profile Page, 2008\. The wall. Courtesy of Facebook  Facebook Profile Page, 2009\. It only took five years for Facebook to create easy-to-find privacy settings. Courtesy of Facebook  Facebook Profile Page, 2010\. Facebook starts to get pretty. Courtesy of Facebook  Facebook Profile Page, 2011\. Zuckerberg realizes that people love pictures, usually of animals. Courtesy of Facebook  Facebook Profile Page, 2012\. The timeline allows you (or your parents) to trace your life from birth to death. Courtesy of Facebook  Facebook Profile Page, 2013-2014\. Facebook introduced a new app, Paper, on Monday. Courtesy of Facebook  Facebook Profile Page, 2014-2015\. Facebook updated both the newsfeed algorithm and the privacy settings. Courtesy of Alex Fitzpatrick/Facebook [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/?sl%5Fautoplay=true&xid=spl-fullbrief-article "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3745642/facebook-post-guidelines/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3745642/facebook-post-guidelines/"},"headline":"Here's What You Can (and Can't) Post on Facebook","datePublished":"2015-03-16T12:17:08.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:45:02.416Z","description":"It turns out defining nudity is more complicated than you might expect","url":"https://time.com/3745642/facebook-post-guidelines/","keywords":["Tech","facebook","Social Networking","Companies"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt920365c055809ffc/69878317e20a875893a85836/facebook-feeling-fat-status-emoji.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Worland","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/justin-worland/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt920365c055809ffc/69878317e20a875893a85836/facebook-feeling-fat-status-emoji.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Facebook Removes Feeling Fat","caption":"Facebook Removes Feeling Fat","creditText":"Bloomberg via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3745642/facebook-post-guidelines/","name":"Here's What You Can (and Can't) Post on Facebook"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Facebook Is Planning Virtual Reality Apps For Everyone","description":"Facebook wants all its users to be able to create and upload content for virtual reality systems such as Oculus Rift.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/ncI9ZLvX/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-02-18T17:05:11.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ncI9ZLvX.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3745642/facebook-post-guidelines/","duration":"PT1M49S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3745642/facebook-post-guidelines/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```