Summary
Facebook has banned on white extremist content owing to international pressure. Under these rules, users cannot post anything which draws attention towards the idea of white extremism, not even something in a celebratory sense. A lot of people objected to the ban arguing that Facebook was neutral platform and it went against the idea of freedom of expression. The ban went into effect in the US.
Highlights:
- The Facebook ban over white extremism went into effect in the US. Experts and advocates advocating actions to pull out potentially dangerous speech by Facebook argued that it came into effect after quite a lot of international pressure on the social media giant.
- A Facebook spokesperson said that under the new rules, users cannot post in a celebratory way on its News Feed or Instagram: "I'm a white nationalist!" But they can post: "I'm a black nationalist!"
- John Spier, a Facebook user in Central California, found it "ridiculous." Spier, a self-described libertarian, said everyone should be entitled to freedom of expression.