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Facebook shuts, reinstates R18+ for games group

UPDATE: Facebook revives Grow Up Australia group after shutting down page yesterday; group originally removed for violating social networking site’s terms of use.

Australian gamers angry at the fact that the country has no R18+ rating for video games have had several avenues to vent their frustration, but one of the largest and most organised was the Grow Up Australia group created on social networking site Facebook. The group boasted more than 37,000 members and even managed to recently collect 16,000 responses to the government public consultation into the R18+ issue in conjunction with retailer EB Games.

But Grow Up Australia’s existence has been dealt a major blow this morning, with Facebook removing the group due to violations of the site’s terms of use. Grow Up Australia’s organisers seemed to have rallied quickly, however, setting up a new group with the same name (albeit with a small fraction of its old group's fans). On this new page, group organisers have posted a wall message saying the page was a "temporary place holder while we attempt to contact Facebook and resolve the issue at hand. We have also taken the precaution to disable posts on this page (for now), while the issue regarding 'inappropriate material' is resolved."

According to Facebook’s terms of use, the site can "stop providing all or part of Facebook" if it finds content that is "hateful, threatening, pornographic, or that contains nudity or graphic or gratuitous violence." For a page to be taken down, a user of Facebook must report the offending content using the report button available on almost every page of the social networking site. A Facebook spokesperson told GameSpot AU that the company does not comment on individual moderations.

GameSpot AU also contacted Grow Up Australia organiser Aaron J. Percival for further comment, but has not yet received a response at time of publication.

UPDATE: On the group's official Web site, Grow Up Australia founder Aaron J. Percival has outlined more details on what the group now plans to do. "While an R18+ for computer games may be considered a controversial issue, we don't believe that any of the content provided by the administrators of the group in question could be deemed to violate the terms of use. Very rarely, an inappropriate comment would be posted by one of the members, however the administrators have always been vigilant in moderating the group and removing the inappropriate posts," the group states.

"We agree that Facebook needs to take an active role in removing groups that violate their terms of use, however we feel that they may have incorrectly reviewed our group as violating said terms. Currently, we are attempting to contact Facebook in regards to the issue, in hope to restore the group to its previous state."

UPDATE 2: It seems Facebook's initial ban has been overturned, with the original Grow Up Australia group now back up on the social networking site, including its 30,000-plus fans and content stretching back to 2009. GameSpot AU has contacted Facebook for comment on why the ban was overturned, but has not yet received a response as of press time.

33 Comments

  • AceBalls

    Posted Mar 18, 2010 3:03 pm GMT

    Election on 20 March

  • AceBalls

    Posted Mar 18, 2010 2:54 pm GMT

    It doesn't take much to put in a complaint on facebook. You could get banned for the lamest reasons, and I'm sure someone from Atkinson's little conservative tea party has managed to make sure that happened just in time.

  • TheVlaka

    Posted Mar 18, 2010 6:12 am GMT

    big deal.

  • SIDEFX1

    Posted Mar 18, 2010 12:43 am GMT

    15+ is or could be used as 18 years and over anyway right?

  • Transparanoia

    Posted Mar 17, 2010 10:33 pm GMT

    @TT_audi_34

    Nah, I'd put the house on retailers checking IDs and parents caring. Look at it this way, nearly everyone I grew up with was allowed to buy MA rated entertainment, and their parents didn't care. They did care, however, if stuff was rated R. It was the same for most kids of my generation. That'll extend to his generation too. At least I hope. :p

  • TT_audi_34

    Posted Mar 17, 2010 10:15 pm GMT

    @Transparanola I agree with you, but even an 18+ rating won't even matter. A 10 year old buying a 15+ game is just as bad as buying an 18+ game. However, it all comes down on how parents will take action to 18+ games and 15+ games.

  • Transparanoia

    Posted Mar 17, 2010 5:03 pm GMT

    @fatpumba3

    That's only half the problem. There are too many games slipping past the system as 15+ games. Fallout 3, GTA4, etc, are all games that have been rated over 18 in the UK, yet here they get passed so flippantly. And the 15+ rating doesn't even matter. I saw a ten year old buying Fallout 3, and a 6 year old playing it! That's ludicrous. Maybe with an R rating retailers and parents will take things seriously.

  • Deano

    Posted Mar 17, 2010 2:01 pm GMT

    I reported it guys, for the lulz

  • SIDEFX1

    Posted Mar 17, 2010 5:09 am GMT

    Excellent News!

  • Gobbomob

    Posted Mar 17, 2010 12:30 am GMT

    Actually, they do have a site. Well, what it looks like is a blogspot to me. They use twitter & facebook to show ratings and as a way to get people communicating rather than using a forum.

  • Revla

    Posted Mar 16, 2010 11:55 pm GMT

    10 bucks says michael atkinson (not a typo, I don't deem him important enough to spell with capitols) and/or his staff reported it. Oh for those in SA, anyone find it funny when you go to Croydon atm its hard to find political posters for said weiner? yet EVERYONE else has a poster up? are they getting taken down or is he that arrogent that he thinks 'oh I don't need any posters to tell people who to vote for' ? just a thought.

  • gameking5000

    Posted Mar 16, 2010 11:46 pm GMT

    "Oh wow I find that facebook page offensive to me"

  • gameking5000

    Posted Mar 16, 2010 11:45 pm GMT

    @fatpumba3
    As a matter of fact NONE although quite a couple had to be appealed and then overturned

  • fatpumba3

    Posted Mar 16, 2010 11:05 pm GMT

    Is there any great games that we have missed anyway? Is the R18+ rating even needed?

  • Sagacious_Tien

    Posted Mar 16, 2010 9:59 pm GMT

    Unusual and speedy turn-around. But I'm glad it's back. Perhaps this episode might even gain the group more support?

  • R_evolution_Jay

    Posted Mar 16, 2010 9:50 pm GMT

    Yeah, I bet the Australian government had nothing to do with this banning/reporting... couldn't be, who would bother with these "R18 nerds"?, I wonder.

  • PhonziWun

    Posted Mar 16, 2010 8:51 pm GMT

    Haha. All you old people holding this R18 thing up - time's change, ever heard of that?

  • Chickan_117

    Posted Mar 16, 2010 5:43 pm GMT

    Even if it was reported you would think that facebook moderators would analyse the content. Wonder what the reason was as the topic alone, hopefully, wouldn't be enough to incite a ban

  • junor69

    Posted Mar 16, 2010 4:25 pm GMT

    freedom of speech in australia as long its not R rated its ok - You can say or have what ever you like as long politicians like it.

  • Heretix_Aevum

    Posted Mar 16, 2010 3:43 pm GMT

    I was a member of that group

  • toadman682000

    Posted Mar 16, 2010 2:49 pm GMT

    So? It's facebook's site, they can do what they like. GUA should have rented their own web server if this was mission critical. Please note my bias: I f@%!^%# hate facebook.

  • FarmFreshDX

    Posted Mar 16, 2010 12:01 pm GMT

    I would not be at all surprised if the "people" who reported the group turned out to be the game-hater himself or some people on his staff.

  • Barighm

    Posted Mar 16, 2010 11:02 am GMT

    Gee, I wonder who reported them? A certain Australian politician who hates games perhaps?

  • BlueFlameBat

    Posted Mar 16, 2010 10:19 am GMT

    I hope FaceBook didn't take a bribe or succumb to some kind of threat from the Australian government. I guess I'll find out sooner or later.

  • user_93475765

    Posted Mar 16, 2010 9:52 am GMT

    lol, Facebook. "Oh no, we might maybe possibly someday get sued! DELETEDELETEDELETE!" Actually, sounds a lot like a CertaiN other EntiTy we know. >____>

  • HollowNinja

    Posted Mar 16, 2010 7:04 am GMT

    It almost makes me want to stop using Facebook. Some of their policies are pretty bad.

  • mjc0961

    Posted Mar 16, 2010 6:20 am GMT

    I say we take it a step further: Facebook itself needs to be shut down.

  • strayfies

    Posted Mar 16, 2010 4:41 am GMT

    Sounds to me like Australians aren't going to be oppressed; their government is gonna have to start respecting the flow of change soon. Facebook is pretty marginal in this, overall.

  • DemigodUltima

    Posted Mar 16, 2010 3:58 am GMT

    In America, you play video game. In Australia, video games play YOU!

  • andrew_dueck

    Posted Mar 16, 2010 2:31 am GMT

    Just when you thought the Australian government wasn't more of a stubborn crybaby, they take their ball and go home too. Steps for joining Aussie parliament:
    1. Being a bigger weiner than any politicians elsewhere
    2. Prove your dick status, and become hired

  • Twitchy_Man

    Posted Mar 16, 2010 1:36 am GMT

    one guess who pushed the report button .....

  • Kaldo

    Posted Mar 16, 2010 1:34 am GMT

    Why do I get the feeling Mr. Atkinson had something to do with this???

  • ColdfireTrilogy

    Posted Mar 15, 2010 11:27 pm GMT

    WoW good going facebook -_- ....

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