The uproar about Facebook banning photos of breast-feeding moms, in the name of obscenity, appears to have gathered momentum - what with online virtual protests, a protest outside Facebook headquarters, and youtube. com parodies and tirades apparently resounding "Hey, Facebook, breastfeeding is not obscene!"

The group up in protest against Facebook presently comprises more than 97,600 members - including the petition, message board, and the photo-sharing hub. A slight glimpse at this Facebook group instantly reveals that women the world over have left their comments in support of the innocence of nursing moms.

It all began when some Web savvy women who posted their breast-feeding photos on the social networking site were either asked by Facebook to remove the photos, or the site removed them on its own. The reason Facebook cited was its policy of barring the upload of anything "obscene, pornographic or sexually explicit" showing a certain amount of exposed flesh.

Though the site's policies are being termed as arbitrarily enforced and discriminatory against women, Facebook spokesman Barry Schnitt said the guidelines regarding exposed flesh actually do allow most breast-feeding photos - it is only at a visible nipple or areola or the gluteal cleft that Facebook draws the line.

Schnitt also said the policies, which were established when Facebook began as a site just for college kids, reflect common practices of internet safety on mainstream Web sites. Moreover, Facebook maintains that most photos are removed at the request of other Facebook members, and emphasizes that it is practically not possible to decide on a case-by-case basis!