Facebook Censors Image of Nude Neptune Statue

No one is immune to Facebook's strict censorship guidelines—not even a god. Writer Elisa Barbari found that out recently when the social media giant took down an image she posted of a statue of Neptune, the Roman god of the sea, according to The Telegraph.

The statue, which has been in place since the 1560s, stands high above the Fountain of Neptune (or Fontana di Nettuno), located in the Piazza del Nettuno in Bologna, Italy. Barbari posted an image of the statue on her Facebook page, which is dedicated to “Stories, curiosities and views of Bologna." Apparently, though, the nude god crosses the boundaries of good taste for the social media site, so they removed the image, explaining to Barbari:

"The use of the image was not approved because it violates Facebook’s guidelines on advertising. It presents an image with content that is explicitly sexual and which shows to an excessive degree the body, concentrating unnecessarily on body parts. The use of images or video of nude bodies or plunging necklines is not allowed, even if the use is for artistic or educational reasons.”

Barbari has now turned her Facebook page into a protest of sorts, with more modest images of Neptune reading "Si Nettuno, no censura" or "Yes to Neptune, no to censorship." In a comment on that same image, Barbari finished her plea by saying, "How can a work of art, our Neptune, be the subject of censorship?"

This is far from the first time Facebook has censored a seemingly innocuous piece of art. Just a year ago, the site removed a post by a Danish politician because the image featured a nude statue of the Little Mermaid, an iconic part of the Langelinie promenade in Copenhagen.

[h/t: The Telegraph]