Facebook Bans Louis Farrakhan, Alex Jones and Others as ‘Dangerous’

Source: RT

May 2, 2019 at 17:49

The company has faced criticism that it hasn’t done enough to prevent bullying, abuse and hate speech

Facebook Inc. banned an array of personalities whose views it deemed too inflammatory to be shared on its social network on Thursday, including Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, far-right talk-show host Alex Jones, and conservative Jewish activist Laura Loomer.

Citing policies against ‘dangerous individuals and organizations,’ Instagram and Facebook banned Infowars, Alex Jones, Milo Yiannopoulos and Louis Farrakhan, among others. Any mention of them will result in bans, too.

FB said Jones and the rest violated its policy under "Dangerous Individuals and Organizations." It covers Terrorist activity, Organized hate, Mass or serial murder, Human trafficking, and Organized violence or criminal activity. "Organized hate" seems like the relevant section. pic.twitter.com/JllelEsajs
— Brandy Zadrozny (@BrandyZadrozny) May 2, 2019

Any account that shares Infowars content will have it removed, and face a permanent ban for multiple “violations.” Facebook and Instagram will also remove any and all Infowars videos, audio or articles. Groups and events that promote Infowars or any of the banned “extremists” will be removed as well, a spokesperson told the Atlantic.

Thursday’s social media purge also affected Infowars editor Paul Joseph Watson, conservative journalist Laura Loomer, and former Republican politician Paul Nehlen.

This is genuinely terrifying. If an Instagram user even SHARES Infowars content - and I mean ANY Infowars content - the content will be removed#StopTheBias pic.twitter.com/HFonB5CxCA
— Will Chamberlain ?? (@willchamberlain) May 2, 2019

It is still possible to refer to the banned individuals or share content related to them that Facebook decides does not violate its terms of service, the Menlo Park-based company said.

“We’ve always banned individuals or organizations that promote or engage in violence and hate, regardless of ideology. The process for evaluating potential violators is extensive and it is what led us to our decision to remove these accounts today,” Facebook told the Atlantic via email.

Thursday’s bans affect mainly anti-establishment figures, with the exception of Farrakhan. The leader of Nation of Islam is a prominent voice in the African-American community, and has even met with President Barack Obama – though the photo of them together was kept secret for years until Obama left office.