Kevin Bacher

Medium: Photography

Censored by: Instagram/Facebook/Meta

Was there a notification of removal and if so what was the reason given?: My photos were repeatedly flagged and removed, in most cases for "Adult Sexual Solicitation." All of my photos are artistic, not sexual; many of them have been accepted for exhibition in photographic competitions and galleries; and in every case, any nudity in the photo was carefully censored with black bars or blurring before posting. This image was the first in a series of 36 images removed over a period of four and a half years, all but three of them for so-called "Adult Sexual Solicitation," before my account was deleted. Additional photos were removed but restored on appeal.

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Thirty-six images were removed over a period of four and a half years, all but three of them for so-called "Adult Sexual Solicitation," before my account was deleted. Since then, on my new account, Meta has switched tactics, in most cased no longer outright removing my photos, but labeling them "Can't be recommended to non-followers."

What date were you censored?: July 15, 2022, May 28, 2023

Were you given an opportunity to appeal? If so, did you appeal and what was the response?: The removal of individual photos could be appealed, and in some cases were restored. When my account was abruptly cancelled for "Adult Sexual Solicitation," I was given the opportunity to appeal and submitted a thorough explanation of why my photos were artistic, did not violate "Community Standards," were properly self-censored, and were certainly not "sexual solicitation." I never received any acknowledgement that the appeal was reviewed or even received.

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I'm always given an opportunity to appeal, but the bans are always upheld without comment. I'm always given an opportunity to remove the "offending" photo, but when I do, it is promptly replaced by another image similarly shadow-banned.

What have the consequences been for you because of this removal? Please describe in best detail.: I lost more than 1500 followers which I had accumulated over a span of five years, only a third of which I have recovered a year and a half later. Old links to my account no longer connect. This has reduced my ability to promote my website and sell prints, and to connect with other artists and models. Labeling my artistic work "sexual solicitation" is not only inaccurate, it is frankly defamatory.

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When my account was deleted on July 15, 2022, I lost more than 1500 followers which I had accumulated over a span of five years, only a third of which I have recovered a year and a half later. Old links to my account no longer connected. Repeatedly categorizing my photos as "Can't be recommended to non-followers" severely limits the visibility of my art to new audiences and limits the growth of my account. This reduces my ability to promote my website and sell prints, and to connect with other artists and models.

Please write additional comments:

(Portrait image) banned on June 10, 2018, was the most inexplicable of 33 images removed over a span of four and a half years for "Adult Sexual Solicitation." I appealed the removal, of course, but it was affirmed without further comment. I cannot for the life of me understand what it is about this simple portrait that made the censors think it was "sexual solicitation."

(image with model in kitchen) removed on August 8, 2021, is typical of 36 photos removed over a span of four and a half years, 33 of them for "Adult Sexual Solicitation." It was posted to Instagram and Facebook with thick black bars over the breasts and pubic area of the model. This photo has been recognized by the photographic community as artistic, not "sexual solicitation," by being accepted in two Photographic Society of America-affiliated photo salons: Vidin Spring Circuit in Bulgaria (May 2021), and Photo Fest Bitola in North Macedonia (October 2021). It was exhibited online as part of the International Festival of Erotic Arts in September 2020, at which I was a symposium presenter; and was exhibited as a framed print at the Indianapolis Art Center in Indianapolis, Indiana (February-April 2020).

(image with model posed in doorframe) This image, removed on April 16, 2021, is typical of 36 photos removed over a span of four and a half years, 33 of them for "Adult Sexual Solicitation." It was posted to Instagram and Facebook with thick black bars over the breasts and pubic area of the model. This photo has been recognized by the photographic community as artistic, not "sexual solicitation," by being accepted in four Photographic Society of America-affiliated photo salons: Onyx salon in Romania (March 2022); MNE PBK Circuit in Montenegro (March 2022); Foto Art Super Circuit in India (August 2022); and Three Country Circuit in Ireland (November 2022). It was also exhibited as a framed print at 3 Square Art Gallery in Fort Collins, Colorado (January-February 2023), where it was awarded an Honorable Mention.

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(image with model posed among roots) This is a typical example of 16 photos categorized as "Can't be recommended to non-followers" between February and August 2023 (in addition to one removed from my Stories for "Adult Sexual Solicitation"), despite being posted with heavy black bars covering the breasts and pubic area of the model. And yet, as evidence that the photo is artistic rather than offensive, this image has been accepted in five Photographic Society of America-affiliated photo salons: the Man and Work salon in Serbia (January 2022), where it received a "Salon Praise" award; the Dhaka Photo Awards in Bangladesh (January 2022); MNE PBK Circuit in Montenegro (March 2022); DPW Four Country Circuit in Serbia (May 2022); and Gold Camera salon in Montenegro (August 2022). It received an Honorable Mention as part of a series in the Moscow International Foto Awards (July 2021), and was published in Art of Portrait magazine in Russia in January 2022. It was awarded Honorable Mention as part of a series in the PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris photography contest in August 2022.

A full gallery of my photos removed or shadow-banned by Meta can be seen at https://sensualight.com/bannedart.

Your website: http://sensualight.com

Your Instagram: http://instagram.com/sensualight.backup

Your Twitter: http://twitter.com/sensualight

Meta/Facebook: http://facebook.com/bringyourbeautytolight