Anti Federalist
Member
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2007
- Messages
- 117,698
After New Zealand mosque shootings and civil rights backlash, Facebook bans white nationalism, separatism
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...-ban-white-nationalism-separatism/3285419002/
Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY Published 12:49 p.m. ET March 27, 2019 | Updated 1:35 p.m. ET March 27, 2019
SAN FRANCISCO – Facebook is banning explicit praise, support or representation of white nationalism and white separatism on Facebook and Instagram, including phrases such as "I am a proud white nationalist," following deadly attacks at two New Zealand mosques and a backlash from black history scholars and civil rights groups.
"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 separatism cannot be meaningfully separated from white supremacy and organized hate groups," Facebook said in a blog post Wednesday.
Users searching for white nationalism and separatism will be directed to resources that help people leave hate groups starting next week, the company said.
Explicit expressions of support for white supremacy are not permitted on Facebook. The decision to extend that ban to white nationalism and separatism addresses one of Facebook's most controversial content moderation policies that control the speech of more than 2 billion users around the globe.
The social media company had previously defended the practice, saying it consulted researchers and academic experts in crafting a policy drawing a line between white supremacy and the belief that races should be separated. In training documents obtained by Vice's Motherboard last year, Facebook said white nationalism “doesn’t seem to be always associated with racism (at least not explicitly).”
That position provoked a strong reaction from civil rights groups.
"By attempting to distinguish white supremacy from white nationalism and white separatism, Facebook ignores centuries of history, legal precedent, and expert scholarship that all establish that white nationalism and white separatism are white supremacy," the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law wrote Facebook in September.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...-ban-white-nationalism-separatism/3285419002/
Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY Published 12:49 p.m. ET March 27, 2019 | Updated 1:35 p.m. ET March 27, 2019
SAN FRANCISCO – Facebook is banning explicit praise, support or representation of white nationalism and white separatism on Facebook and Instagram, including phrases such as "I am a proud white nationalist," following deadly attacks at two New Zealand mosques and a backlash from black history scholars and civil rights groups.
"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 separatism cannot be meaningfully separated from white supremacy and organized hate groups," Facebook said in a blog post Wednesday.
Users searching for white nationalism and separatism will be directed to resources that help people leave hate groups starting next week, the company said.
Explicit expressions of support for white supremacy are not permitted on Facebook. The decision to extend that ban to white nationalism and separatism addresses one of Facebook's most controversial content moderation policies that control the speech of more than 2 billion users around the globe.
The social media company had previously defended the practice, saying it consulted researchers and academic experts in crafting a policy drawing a line between white supremacy and the belief that races should be separated. In training documents obtained by Vice's Motherboard last year, Facebook said white nationalism “doesn’t seem to be always associated with racism (at least not explicitly).”
That position provoked a strong reaction from civil rights groups.
"By attempting to distinguish white supremacy from white nationalism and white separatism, Facebook ignores centuries of history, legal precedent, and expert scholarship that all establish that white nationalism and white separatism are white supremacy," the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law wrote Facebook in September.
