Has Facebook been taking down your cover photos?

December 2, 2012 3:39pm

Cover photos are disappearing from many Facebook users' profiles, with at least one prominent Filipino on the popular social networking site griping about this on social media accounts.

Tech site Mashable reported over the weekend many cover photos disappear without explanation, saying it appears to be a move by the social media site to aggressively crack down on images considered to be too "promotional."

"Facebook fricking did it again," laments Carlos Celdran in his status post last Friday. "They removed my cover photo."

Celdran tried to avoid getting his cover photo taken down again just like what had happened last Wednesday, Nov. 28, when he posted a photograph featuring the facades of two buildings. But Facebook took down that cover photo, apparently because of the billboards atop the buildings.

Facebook's message appearing onscreen after Carlos Celdran's photo was taken down. Carlos Celdran's Facebook photo albums

The following day (Thursday), he tried posting as his cover photo a generic photograph of his theatrical production which already finished playing on-stage. Nevertheless, Facebook took down his cover photo and posted the following message which he, in turn, posted on his Facebook wall.

"It was just a picture of my show with 'Imelda' at Lincoln Center. NO LOGOS. I don't understand why [Facebook took down] that," Celdran complained in the same status post.

Facebook took down this photo despite Celdran's note, which reads: "Dear Facebook. This is not promotional. It's my own performance curtain call. The show run has ended. Please don't remove this photo." Carlos Celdran's Facebook photo albums

"The exact reason why Facebook removed each cover is a mystery, since the user is not informed, except by the glaring empty space where the photo used to be," Mashable said.

Celdran's first disappearing cover photo, about which he asked "Why did this picture disappear from my cover photo space?" Carlos Celdran's Facebook photo albums

"It could be due to a copyright violation or that the photo was deemed to[o] 'promotional.' Although Facebook removes the photo from the cover position, it doesn’t actually delete the photo itself," it added.

A Facebook spokesperson Mashable had asked said Facebook’s policies regarding photos and cover photos have not changed since "Facebook’s terms of service specifies that a cover photo should be a 'unique image that represents your Page'.”

The report also cited Twitter reactions indicating the disappearing cover photos have been "happening regularly."

"Although some users say the removed photos were their own, the pattern that seems to be emerging is that the photos are either promotional or violate copyright," it said. — With a report by Audrey Domasian and Marlon Tonson/ LBG, GMA News