Facebook to allow videos showing graphic violence again

Facebook has angered online safety campaigners by allowing videos showing people being decapitated to be posted and shared on its site once again.

The social networking site had introduced a temporary ban in May following complaints that the clips could cause long-term psychological damage.

The company previously issued the following statement to the BBC when it was asked about a video named 'Challenge: Anybody can watch this video', which appeared to show clip of a masked man killing a woman.

"Facebook has long been a place where people turn to share their experiences, particularly when they're connected to controversial events on the ground, such as human rights abuses, acts of terrorism and other violent events," it stated.

"People are sharing this video on Facebook to condemn it. If the video were being celebrated, or the actions in it encouraged, our approach would be different.

"However, since some people object to graphic video of this nature, we are working to give people additional control over the content they see. This may include warning them in advance that the image they are about to see contains graphic content."

Stephen Balkam, chief executive of Family Online Safety Institute, which is on Facebook's safety advisory board, urged the online giant to reverse its decision.

"If you look at their community standards, they have some very strict rules, about nudity, about sex, and even about violence too," he said.

"I just think, in this case, they really need to rethink how they use and how they adopt their own policies."