Facebook received major backlash from the public when it took down a photo of a Napalm girl captured during the Vietnam War. Social Networking giant censored the image as they thought the photo was a product of child pornography.
Just weeks ago, Facebook was called out for abusing their power when gathering WhatsApp users' information. Now, the company has gone lengths to prove that it respect users by taking down an innocent photo telling a heartbreaking story in 1972 Vietnam.
The image of a naked 9-year old girl, Phan Thi Kin Phuc, was captured as she was fleeing the area where the bombs exploded during the Vietnam War. The said photo has received awards and has been dubbed an iconic masterpiece, but Facebook thinks otherwise. Nick Ut's Pulitzer prize-winning photo was quickly censored and deleted by Facebook just because they thought it was child pornography, as reported by NBC News.
It wasn't long when keyboard warriors got fired up and aired their strong opinions regarding the censorship. Telegraph.co.uk reports, a Norweigan newspaper cried foul over the censorship and expressed his disapproval by committing a virtual act of disobedience.
"Aftenposten," the Norwegian newspaper, reposted the image of the child and demanded that it should be reinstated as soon as possible. The picture was taken in 1972 during the horrendous war in Vietnam and it has been displayed and admired over the years .
In Facebook's defense, the company did not mean to offend anybody when it decided to take down the photo. They were just following protocol in case it violated their community guidelines. Hours after receiving a storm of criticism, Facebook reinstated the photo and all was right in the world again.
