Vocalist and 2016 Exclaim! cover star Tanya Tagaq says she was suspended from Facebook after sharing a photo of seal fur.
Tagaq claims her account on the social media platform was blocked for a 24-hour period after sharing a photo of a person dressed in a sealskin coat, CBC reports. As she told PETA following her Polaris Music Prize win in 2014, seal hunting is an important component of Inuit life in Canada's territories.
CBC also reports that the woman who made the coat, Hovak Johnston of Yellowknife, says Inuit make use of every part of the animal and fur would be discarded if not used in coats and other garments.
Tagaq also took to Twitter to share the news of her suspension.
UPDATE (02/02, 6:12 p.m. EST): The situation has been resolved after speaking with Tagaq's team. A Facebook spokesperson has provided a statement on the issue, saying: "We're very sorry about this mistake. The enforcement action was made in error and we fixed it as soon as we were able to investigate. Our team processes millions of reports each week, and we sometimes get things wrong." Tagaq has also confirmed the report on Twitter.
This isn't the first time Facebook has suspended an artist based on the content they post. In 2014, rapper Lil B claimed the social media service shut down his account for 30 days following posts addressing race, animal rights, rape and sex trafficking.
Facebook's media relations office told the CBC they were unaware of Tagaq's complaint and were investigating.
Tagaq claims her account on the social media platform was blocked for a 24-hour period after sharing a photo of a person dressed in a sealskin coat, CBC reports. As she told PETA following her Polaris Music Prize win in 2014, seal hunting is an important component of Inuit life in Canada's territories.
CBC also reports that the woman who made the coat, Hovak Johnston of Yellowknife, says Inuit make use of every part of the animal and fur would be discarded if not used in coats and other garments.
Tagaq also took to Twitter to share the news of her suspension.
Got blocked and reported on Facebook for posting my dear friend's handmade sealskin coat.
— tanya tagaq (@tagaq) February 1, 2017
UPDATE (02/02, 6:12 p.m. EST): The situation has been resolved after speaking with Tagaq's team. A Facebook spokesperson has provided a statement on the issue, saying: "We're very sorry about this mistake. The enforcement action was made in error and we fixed it as soon as we were able to investigate. Our team processes millions of reports each week, and we sometimes get things wrong." Tagaq has also confirmed the report on Twitter.
This isn't the first time Facebook has suspended an artist based on the content they post. In 2014, rapper Lil B claimed the social media service shut down his account for 30 days following posts addressing race, animal rights, rape and sex trafficking.
Facebook's media relations office told the CBC they were unaware of Tagaq's complaint and were investigating.
