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Swedish Cancer Society thwarts Facebook breast cancer awareness ad ban by going square

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By Rebecca Stewart, Trends Editor

October 21, 2016 | 3 min read

Facebook was forced to apologise earlier this week after it accidentally removed a video campaign from the Swedish Cancer Society about breast cancer awareness, but now the group has now come up with a clever way to avoid Facebook’s censorship; turning breasts square.

Swedish Cancer Society thwarts Facebook breast cancer awareness video ban by going square

Swedish Cancer Society thwarts Facebook breast cancer awareness video ban by going square

Facebook originally banned the ad, which depicted an animated walk-through of how to self-examine breasts, because it believed it to be marketing “sex products or services nor adults products or services.” The platform subsequently u-turned and said the film had been incorrectly spiked, adding: “We apologize for the error and have let the advertiser know we are approving their ads.”

In the meantime, however, the non-profit organisation has penned an open-letter to Facebook featuring a rejigged image which shows a square set of breasts.

“We understand that you have to have rules about the content published on your platform. But you must also understand that one of our main tasks is to disseminate important information about cancer – in this case breast cancer,” the statement noted.

“After trying to meet your control for several days without success, we have now come up with a solution that will hopefully make you happy: Two pink squares!

“This can not possibly offend you, or anyone. Now we can continue to spread our important breast school without upsetting you.”

Facebook's strict censorship policies around nudity landed it in trouble last month after it kept removing the iconic 'napalm girl' photo taken during the Vietnam war. Captured by photographer Nick Ut for the Associated Press, the 1972 Pulitzer Prize-winning picture was deemed unsuitable for Facebook due to the fact it depicted an unclothed child, but the social network ultimately reversed the decision, saying that the historical status of the image outweighed "the value of protecting the community by removal."

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