News Updates
Facebook Hate Speech Ban is Far Too Little – and 50 Victims Too Late
https://www.ccn.com/facebook-hate-speech-ban-is-far-too-little-and-50-victims-too-late
By CCN.com: It might have taken the brutal, livestreamed murder of 50 men, women, and children, but Facebook has finally decided to ban the promotion of white nationalism on its platform.
Facebook Took 3 Months (!) to Formulate Hate Speech Ban
What were Facebook staff doing while a homicidal maniac was planning his deadly assault on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand?
I’ll tell you. They were conducting focus groups and consulting academics and civil rights watchdogs on whether or not it should bundle white nationalism under the same umbrella as white supremacy and other hate groups – it took them three months!
In a post on its website, titled “Standing Against Hate,” the company explains its about-face on white nationalism:
“Over the past three months our conversations with members of civil society and academics who are experts in race relations around the world have confirmed that white nationalism and white separatism cannot be meaningfully separated from white supremacy and organized hate groups … It’s clear that these concepts are deeply linked to organized hate groups and have no place on our services.”
Really? Well, it took you long enough Zuckerberg!
The statement continues:
“Our own review of hate figures and organizations – as defined by our Dangerous Individuals & Organizations policy – further revealed the overlap between white nationalism and white separatism and white supremacy.”
New Zealand Shows What Real Action Looks Like
The company claims it will begin banning content that “praises or represents white nationalism and white separatism” on its Facebook and Instagram platforms.
But by the time the ban goes live, it will be nearly three weeks since the shootings – that’s not acceptable.
It’s great they’ve finally decided to act, but it’s too little – and 50 lives too late.
Especially when you think that within days of the attacks, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had banned the sale of military-grade assault rifles.