Facebook backs down on videos of beheadings

The social media website issued a statement saying it had “re-examined” the issue and removed a beheading video after concluding that it “improperly and irresponsibly glorifies violence”.

Facebook said it would “strengthen the enforcement” of policies on graphic content, removing posts which celebrate violence and taking into account whether they are being shared “responsibly” – for instance by blocking under-age viewers from accessing them.

Mr Cameron welcomed the move, but made clear he would be waiting to see whether the new approach was sufficient to protect children from being exposed to the gory films.

In a message on Twitter, the Prime Minister said: “I’m pleased Facebook has changed its approach on beheading videos. The test is now to ensure their policy is robust in protecting children.”

Facebook sparked a storm when it lifted a temporary ban imposed in May on beheading videos, on the grounds that the site is used to share information about world events. The company said it would take down posts which celebrated or encouraged beheadings.

After the Prime Minister condemned the decision as “irresponsible” and said Facebook would have to explain it to worried parents, the company issued a new statement.

The statement said: “As part of our effort to combat the glorification of violence on Facebook, we are strengthening the enforcement of our policies.

“Based on these enhanced standards, we have re-examined recent reports of graphic content and have concluded that this content improperly and irresponsibly glorifies violence. For this reason, we have removed it.

“Going forward, we ask that people who share graphic content for the purpose of condemning it do so in a responsible manner.”