Facebook Bans Nipple Tattoos

A medical tattoo artist based in Hanham near Bristol, Lauren Carter, has expressed frustration over the online censorship of her nipple tattoos for mastectomy patients. Carter's hyper-realistic work is often mistakenly flagged as 'inappropriate nudity' by social media bots and algorithms, resulting in her posts being removed and her account being banned.

Carter has been banned from posting numerous times, and her pictures have been permanently removed. Despite this, Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, allows post-mastectomy scarring and areola tattoos on its platforms. The company's systems occasionally make mistakes when identifying and protecting medical and health-related content.

One of Carter's clients, Jessica Bowler, a nurse from Bristol, underwent a double mastectomy with implant reconstruction at the age of 32 following a breast cancer diagnosis. Bowler got areola reconstruction tattoos from Carter, highlighting the importance of such services for breast cancer survivors.

Carter says her posts are automatically removed 'nine times out of 10', and she always appeals the decision. However, she feels that 'it's as if nobody even reads it'. The repeated removal of her posts has left her struggling to reach new clients, and she believes that the censorship is 'wholly unfair and discriminatory'.

## Why it matters The censorship of Carter's work has significant implications for breast cancer survivors who are seeking areola reconstruction tattoos. The removal of such content from social media platforms can limit access to information and services that are essential for their recovery and well-being. Meta's efforts to improve its identification and protection of medical and health-related content are crucial in addressing this issue.

## What happens next A spokesperson for Meta said that the company 'continues to work on improving' how it identifies and protects medical and health-related content. The company recognizes the important role medical tattooists play in supporting breast cancer survivors and wants this content on its platforms. As the company works to improve its systems, it is essential that it balances the need to protect users from inappropriate content with the need to allow medical and health-related content to reach those who need it.