A road safety authority claims its advertisement has been banned from Facebook because it was classified as too 'gory'.
The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) said the social media site had blocked it from posting videos that featured crash test dummies.
ANCAP originally aired a campaign called 'Safer Vehicle Choices Save Lives' in July 2018.
The road safety authority looked to revive the campaign in January, though was blocked from re-posting the video to the social media site, the Herald Sun reported.
The video shows two different people leave their family homes as they head to work.
The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) said the social media site had blocked it from posting videos that featured crash test dummies
One person gets into a 1998 Toyota Corolla, while the other gets behind the wheel of a 2015 model.
The pair are transported into a crash test facility, before a head-on collision is displayed with test dummy's in the driver's seat.
An airbag deploys in the newer model and protects the dummy from impact, while the dummy in the older car is crushed.
The campaign was created to raise awareness between the different protections built into vehicle, but the advertisement was blocked on Facebook based on the content.
The social media giant reportedly told the ANCAP that ads could not contain 'sensational or graphic content' because of their highly sensitive nature.
That rule still applied, even if the material was artistic or educational.
'We don’t allow ads that feature scary, gory or sensational content like vehicle collisions and accidents,' Facebook is believed to have advised them.
ANCAP chief executive James Goodwin questioned how the social media giant's policy would impact the future of road safety campaigns.
In only the first three months this year, 332 people have already lost their lives on Australian roads, up from 301 in 2018.
'In this new era of media or social media, how do we get road safety messages out there if they are too shocking?' Mr Goodwin said.
A breast cancer campaign was also recently banned from Facebook.
Breast cancer survivors criticised the company after it banned images of their scars and mastectomies.
One person gets into a 1998 Toyota Corolla, while the other gets behind the wheel of a 2015 model
The pair are transported into a crash test facility, before a head-on collision is displayed with test dummy's in the driver's seat
The photos of topless women and a man holding buns and rolls over their breasts are at the centre of this year's Pink Bun campaign, run by Bakers Delight to raise money for Breast Cancer Network Australia.
BCNA said Facebook had previously approved the pictures for advertisements on the platform but has now ruled them in violation of its partial nudity policy.
'BCNA believes it is impossible to show the full reality of breast cancer's impact if a survivor is forced to cover up,' it said in a statement on Friday.
'This nonsensical decision threatens to significantly reduce the campaign's effectiveness to raise awareness and much needed funds for BCNA.'
Survivor Kate Murray, who features in the campaign, was left dumbfounded by the ban, believing the images were tasteful.
'It's insulting that they'd ban them when they live stream mass murder and anti-Muslim rhetoric and homophobic diatribes,' she told Seven's Sunrise.
'It's insane that they'd ban something so beautiful and thoughtful and supportive as this campaign.'
BCNA is urging Facebook to reconsider its decision.
No comments:
Post a Comment