[Content Note: White supremacy.]
"Facebook's current white nationalism policy is too narrow, because it prohibits only explicit praise, support, or representation of the terms 'white nationalism' or 'white separatism.' The narrow scope of the policy leaves up content that expressly espouses white nationalist ideology without using the term 'white nationalist.' As a result, content that would cause the same harm is permitted to remain on the platform." — External auditors, "appointed by Facebook in 2018 to oversee its goals of 'advancing civil rights on our platform,'" in a report that I can only assume is titled "Fuck Facebook Forever."
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg said in response to the auditors' criticism: "We're addressing this by identifying hate slogans and symbols connected to white nationalism and white separatism to better enforce our policy."
Just let that sink in for a moment. It is the year of our lord Jesus Jones two thousand and nineteen, and, despite many promises of commitment to safety on their platform for years, the chief operating officer of Facebook just admitted that Facebook hasn't previously bothered to identify the hate slogans and symbols of white supremacy.
I have immense sympathy for and no judgment of people who are obliged to use Facebook for work and/or for whom Facebook, which obliterates its competitors, is a vital tool to maintain support networks.
I deleted my Facebook account awhile ago, and it was a huge relief.
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