Facebook wrongly bans Hundred Heroines for ten years

[Michael Pritchard]

Hundred Heroines, the Briitsh charity putting women photographers both past and contemporary centrestage, has been banned by Facebook for ten years for 'breaking community guidelines'. Not only has there been the writing of women out of histories in favour of men, structural issues that work against women working in photography, but Facebook's AI is now also conspiring against women. 

Speaking to Hundred Heroines founder Dr Del Barrett recently about the banning the issue seems to be the use of the term 'heroine' and Facebook's content moderating AI confusing it with 'heroin'. There have been repeated attenpts to speak to a person and resolve the issue without success, As Hundred Heroine's notes 'We'vbe reluctantly accepted this setback and created a new page, HH Museum'. It continues 'Had we been named 'Hundred Heroes' and referencing male achievements, would we have faced this ban? Of course not. Does the future of our world depend on so-called “intelligence” that cannot tell the difference between a woman admired for her outstanding achievements and an illegal substance? Let’s hope not...'

Follow and share the new HH Museum Facebook page. In the meantime HH is continuing to try and restore is banned page and content put together over many years.

Hundred Heroines is a contemporary museum, gallery and archive dedicated to women in photography, based in Gloucestershire.  We take world-class art out of the white cube and made it accessible to all. Admission to all exhibitions and participation in projects is free. Leading women photographers (the Heroines) challenge how we see the world. They push artistic boundaries and highlight issues of social injustice. Using their work (objects and images in our collection) as a starting point, we facilitate projects and provide a space for people to come together for shared creative experiences. This is particularly empowering for young women.

• We have a vision : the universal recognition of women in photography – past, present and future.
• Our mission is to connect people with the visual arts and to share opportunities for diverse communities to celebrate women in photography.
• We are building a unique resource to shine a light on inspirational visual artists, to bring these pioneers to the foreground, and encourage  diverse representation within the field of photography.
• We believe in creativity, curiosity and community.

See: https://hundredheroines.org/

Images: Dr Michael Pritchard