Facebook CEO criticized for censoring 'Napalm Baby' photos.

Mark Zuckerberg is being criticized for Facebook's unilateral removal of the "Napalm Girl," a famous photograph from the Vietnam War, which a Norwegian newspaper had posted on the social network.

Nick Ut's photograph, "Napalm Baby."

Aftenposten, Norway's largest newspaper, published an open letter on September 8th addressed to Mark Zuckerberg, the owner of Facebook, criticizing his decision to censor the famous "Napalm Girl" photograph about the Vietnam War, according to The Guardian. The newspaper described Zuckerberg as "the most powerful editor in the world."

Espen Egil Hansen, editor-in-chief and CEO of Aftenposten, accused Zuckerberg of "abusing power" thoughtlessly.

"I am upset, disappointed, and even fearful of what he intends to do to a pillar of our democratic society," Hansen wrote, referring to Facebook, the social network that has become a major global news and information channel.

Controversy arose when Facebook decided to remove a post by Norwegian writer Tom Egeland discussing "7 photos that changed the history of war," which included the "Napalm Girl" photograph. The "Napalm Girl," taken by Nick Ut, depicts a terrified Vietnamese girl running naked after South Vietnamese military aircraft dropped napalm bombs on Trang Bang, Tay Ninh.

Aftenposten received a request to remove the photo on September 7th. "Photos depicting nudity, buttocks, or breasts will be removed," Facebook explained.

"Less than 24 hours after the email was sent, before I had time to respond, he intervened and deleted the post and image on Facebook Aftenposten," Hansen wrote. He argued that the decision to delete the image demonstrated Facebook's inability to "distinguish between child pornography and famous war images," and its unwillingness to "make a good judgment."

Facebook has not yet commented.

According to VNE