Meta announces new Facebook profile image frame restrictions

Facebook introduced profile image frames in 2015, initially associated with sports teams, to provide users an easy, customizable method to show their support for their favourite team in the app. Over the years, Facebook built on this by allowing users to make their own frames, and at one point, the Frames Gallery in the app included hundreds of potential possibilities for profile frames.

But all of that has altered in the last year. Following Facebook's decision in late 2020 to prohibit anti-vaccine messages in its applications, some campaigners turned to profile frames, developing anti-vaccine remarks that could be shared via your main Facebook image.
CNBC discovered an increase in the amount of anti-vaccine frames and informed Facebook, which began deleting the problematic frames one by one from its Frames Gallery. The company then withdrew all of its frames save those from recognised partners, as well as the ability for users to design their own frames using its Frame Studio tool.

Meta said, “Last year, we limited the ability to create profile frames on Facebook to authoritative organizations. We’re continuing that work now, so that Profile frames from unapproved Pages and profiles can no longer be applied to new profile pictures. On March 21, only profile frames from certain government services or organizations and those providing authoritative information on COVID-19 will be available. This change reflects our continued emphasis on helping people express their support around important issues like voting and reliable health information.”