Facebook is responding to widespread criticism following several videos posted t the popular social networking site that showed gruesome beheadings and executions that occurred in Mexico.
Two videos were posted on the website last week showing decapitations of drug smugglers for a Mexican cartel before being attacked with a chainsaw and knife. Another one-minute long video showed a woman being beheaded by a masked man.
A university student first reported the videos on Monday, asking Facebook to take them down from their site. Facebook refused and a spokesperson said it was part of preserving the right "to describe, depict, and comment on the world in which we live".
The US-based Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) said the graphic nature of the violence in the videos meant the material had "crossed a line" and called on Facebook to remove them on Wednesday.
The FOSI is one of five leading safety organizations on the Facebook Safety Advisory Board which meets to discuss "issues related to online safety".
"You've just got to consider would this go out on daytime television news? I don't think it would, even with a warning saying this is something you may want to avoid. It crosses a line," said Stephen Balkam, the organization's chief executive.
Facebook later reversed its position, telling AFP, "We will remove instances of these videos that are reported to us while we evaluate our policy and approach to this type of content".
Users discussed Facebook's actions on Twitter and in an online petition, "Remove violent decapitation terrorist threat videos off Facebook for good!" Some debated Facebook's role in allowing the violent videos to be posted.
