Facebook tweeted an apology for a questionable survey it posted on Facebook which gave a hint that paedophiles could share pictures of young girls on the platform.

Representational image. Reuters.

Representational image. Reuters.

According to The Guardian report, a Facebook survey had been making the rounds, asking its users, “There are a wide range of topics and behaviours that appear on Facebook. In thinking about an ideal world where you could set Facebook’s policies, how would you handle the following: a private message in which an adult man asks a 14-year-old girl for sexual pictures”.

This was followed by a second question. It asked that who should take a call for the same picture of the 14-year-old to appear on Facebook.

While the aim of the survey seems innocent enough, both questions seem disturbing. Moreover, as The Guardian had pointed out, none of the options spoke about child laws, especially about the trafficking of children.

Facebook’s product vice president in his defence said that they had run the survey to understand the community. In a tweet, he also said, “But this kind of activity is and will always be completely unacceptable on FB. We regularly work with authorities if identified. It shouldn’t have been part of this survey. That was a mistake.”

Even though social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube may have their community standards in place, one must also understand that a common user mostly skips them.

Therefore, it is imperative on their part to create awareness on their platform regarding the spread of obscene content. And questions asking for views on something that is so obviously wrong — an adult man asking for a 14-year old girl for sexual pictures — does not really help matters any.


Published Date: Mar 06, 2018 11:43 AM | Updated Date: Mar 06, 2018 11:43 AM