Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) has apologized to Norway’s Prime Minister for deleting a famous photo from the prime minister’s Facebook Page.
The apology was given by Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer who stated that the network should not have deleted the photo of a 9-year-old Napalm girl running away after an American attack in Vietnam in 1972. Facebook had argued that the photo which won a Pulitzer Price was child pornography because the girl in question is nude and underage. The photo was flagged and pulled down from several accounts including that of the Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg.
“These are difficult decisions and we don’t always get it right,”said Sandberg in a letter addressed to the prime minister.
The letter was acquired by Reuters on Monday courtesy of the Norwegian freedom of information rules. Sandberg thanked Solberg for playing a part in rectifying the situation and also promised that the company will do better. Facebook claims that the photo was flagged by its review algorithm which identified it as child pornography.
The removal of the photo from the social media platform led to an outcry which in turn caused Facebook to change its decision on the removal of the photo. Facebook now claims that it recognizes the historical significance of the photo. The company then used a censored version after the original version.
“Even with clear standards, screening millions of posts on a case-by-case basis every week is challenging,”claimed Sandberg. The COO stated that Facebook is committed to evolving and listening to its community. She also pointed out that the letter was a sign of how seriously the company takes the matter about the photo.
Facebook stock closed Monday’s trading session at $128.69 after a $1.59 rise from the previous trading session thus a 1.25% rise. The company had a trading volume of 21.25 million shares.