Is Facebook applying censorship?

This article is also available in:
Deutsch: [Betreibt Facebook Zensur? | https://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_11.6_Betreibt_Facebook_Zensur?pk_campaign=edri&pk_kwd=20130327]

On 18 March 2013, the German radio presenter Jürgen Domian accused
Facebook of censorship after some of his posts in which he had made some
remarks about the new Pope, were deleted without warning by the social
network.

Domian said he believed Facebook had taken down the posts after
receiving complaints from Catholic users. “Clearly fanatical supporters
of the (Catholic) church kicked up such a fuss with Facebook that they
buckled,” he wrote. He also said that the social network had told him
that the respective posts did not meet their guidelines.

Domian had had other posts removed as well in which he debated about gay
marriage and emergency contraception for rape victims.

The presenter asked his fans to share his post in which he revealed
Facebook’s actions, as much as possible and, probably as a result of a
very large response (about 15 000 people liked the post and it was
shared about 20 000 times), Facebook apologized.

However, a Facebook spokeswoman described the removal just as a
“regrettable error of the reporting system”, commenting further: “And we
know that this can be frustrating when, as in this case, such an error
happens. (…) Excuse me, Jürgen Domian!”

Facebook ‘censors’ radio host’s pope criticism (19.03.2013)
http://www.thelocal.de/sci-tech/20130319-48623.html#.UVCdJVeVjL8

Jürgen Domian is stunned by Facebook deletion (only in German, 20.03.2013)
http://www.t-online.de/unterhaltung/stars/id_62627188/juergen-domian-facebook-entschuldigt-sich-fuer-zensur.html

Jürgen Domian accuses Facebook of censorship (only in German, 19.03.2013)
http://socialmediawatchblog.de/facebook-zensiert-jurgen-domian/