WASHINGTON, US - FACEBOOK is facing an online protest after removing pictures of breastfeeding mothers found to be overly revealing from the pages of members of the social network.

A Facebook group entitled 'Hey, Facebook, breastfeeding is not obscene!' has attracted nearly 85,000 members as of Tuesday and a handful of activists held a rally outside its California headquarters over the weekend.

The organisers of the page, which is hosting a lively debate, receiving more than 10,000 comments, said they launched their 'Official Petition to Facebook' after Facebook pulled profile pictures showing women nursing their babies.

'The pictures have been reported as 'obscene' and have been removed - their posters warned not to repost or fear being kicked off of Facebook', the group's organisers said.

'We're wondering: what about a baby breastfeeding is obscene? Especially in comparison to MANY other pictures posted all over Facebook that really are obscene.'

Facebook, which has more than 120 million members, said there was no ban on breastfeeding pictures but it did have a policy on how much of a woman's breast can be revealed similar to that of US newspapers and other media outlets.

'We agree that breastfeeding is natural and beautiful and we're very glad to know that it is so important to some mothers to share this experience with others on Facebook,' said Mr Barry Schnitt, a Facebook spokesman.

'We take no action on the vast majority of breastfeeding photos because they follow the site's Terms of Use,' Mr Schnitt said in a statement.

'Photos containing a fully exposed breast (as defined by showing the nipple or areola) do violate those Terms and may be removed,' he said.

'These policies are designed to ensure Facebook remains a safe, secure and trusted environment for all users, including the many children (over the age of 13) who use the site,' Mr Schnitt said.

'The photos we act upon are almost exclusively brought to our attention by other users who complain,' he added.

On Saturday, the Facebook breastfeeding group staged a virtual protest online, called the Mothers International Lactation Campaign, which attracted more than 11,000 followers.

Real-life mothers also held a 'nurse-in' outside Facebook's Palo Alto, California, headquarters the same day, the Palo Alto Daily News reported.

The local newspaper said a handful of activists attended the protest, signing songs, displaying signs and breastfeeding their children outside Facebook headquarters. -- AFP