Facebook is going after Snapchat by banning the service's QR codes that are shared on profiles and pages as profile images.
Facebook Does Not Like it When Someone Promotes 'Third-Parties,' That's Why it is Banning Snapchat QR Codes
Facebook has a strict set of guidelines which everyone has to follow otherwise the social network throws in a spanner to abruptly put things to a halt for the user. For instance, you may not realize this, but you cannot have a Snapcode (Snapchat QR code for following a profile) set as your profile image. If you do this, Facebook will send you a notice instantly, asking you to take down the image, and put something up that is either your photo or the brand to which the page belongs. Failure to do so will result in the removal of your profile picture by Facebook itself.
Now you must be wondering: why does Facebook even do such a thing? Apparently, because putting up a Snapcode as a profile image means you are promoting a third-party brand, which goes against Facebook's Branded Content Policy. Interestingly, if you have a Snapcode as your profile image right now, Facebook will take that down itself if not changed before December 20th. It's best to take things into your hands before the social network takes it in theirs. This policy is actually not brand new and dates back to April of this year. But now it has been carried over to verified profiles.
Snapchat, on the other hand, is absolutely fine with third-parties promoting their content on its service. In fact, Snapchat has recently become the go-to hub for a lot of publishers to share a lot of stories, as well as promote brands that are of relevance to the audience. It somewhat boggles our mind why Facebook is aggressive when it comes to such things.
Regardless of the motive behind Facebook's decision, the bottom line is: you cannot have a Snapchat QR code set as your profile image. It would be wise to take it down right away and put something else up in its place, as long as it is not a Snapcode.
