Facebook has had to clarify its content removal policies once again after receiving criticism for temporarily taking down a video of the shooting of Philando Castile late last week. The social media giant said that the removal was “due to a technical glitch” and has since outlined how it differentiates between various types of graphic or controversial content. 

The video, published by Castile’s girlfriend Diamond Reynolds, was viewed almost one million times before Facebook removed it. It was eventually restored an hour later with a “disturbing” warning label, and Facebook subsequently released a statement revealing that its current “Community Standards” code of conduct covers all content on the site, including live videos and photos.

"The rules for live video are the same for all the rest of our content,” Facebook said. “A reviewer can interrupt a live stream if there is a violation of our Community Standards. Anyone can report content to us if they think it goes against our standards, and it only takes one report for something to be reviewed.”

Facebook added that “context and degree are everything” when users share graphic content that is taking place in real time in the world. It confirmed that any clips or photos that seek to raise awareness of a particular incident and help the people and authorities involved are acceptable but that anyone mocking the incident, celebrating or inciting violence would lead to the video being removed.

The latest statement comes only a week after the Israeli government ministers said that Facebook was not doing enough to clamp down on hateful speech and other content that is deemed a threat to national security. Facebook defended its policies in the wake of the criticism, stating that it is doing everything it can to remove extremist content.

Once a video or image has been reported as violent by users, Facebook’s team members review the content and determine whether it violates standards. It has also confirmed that a high volume of flags does not automatically result in a take-down or have any bearing on whether or not the content is removed from the site. Facebook concluded by stating that it will keep making improvements and that it has learnt a lot from the growth of Live video in recent months.