Zuckerberg: Organizing Anti-Lockdown Protests on Facebook is 'Harmful Misinformation and We Take That Down'
Facebook has decided that protests against government-imposed lockdowns now qualify as “harmful misinformation” that the social media giant will take down.
After weeks of supporting government restrictions, Americans have grown restive amid edicts that have closed businesses and resulted in vast unemployment. As a result, protests against those edicts have taken place in Minnesota, Kentucky, Ohio and North Carolina, with more cropping up around the nation.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared Monday on ABC’s “Good Morning America” to discuss Facebook’s partnership with Carnegie Mellon University to survey Facebook users about possible symptoms and use that information to map potential hot spots governments might not know exist, or might not wish to reveal.
Anti-quarantine protest groups are being removed from Facebook because they violate state orders.
Does @Facebook realize that disallowing citizens the right to peaceful assembly is in violation of the First Amendment of our Constitution? https://t.co/F2J9FxG9MN
— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) April 20, 2020
During the interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, Zuckerberg was asked about Facebook’s role in the spread of information about protests against government orders to stay at home.
“We do classify that as harmful misinformation and we take that down,” the tech executive said.
“At the same time, it’s important that people can debate policies, so there’s a line on this, you know, more than normal political discourse. I think a lot of the stuff that people are saying that is false around a health emergency like this can be classified as harmful misinformation,” he added.
The Hill reported that a Facebook spokesperson said that events would be taken down when they violate state laws or “guidance.”
“Unless government prohibits the event during this time, we allow it to be organized on Facebook,” the spokesperson said. “For this same reason, events that defy government’s guidance on social distancing aren’t allowed on Facebook.”
According to one journalist, that has already taken place.
“Facebook says it has removed promotion of anti-quarantine events in California, New Jersey, and Nebraska after consultation with state governments,” CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan tweeted.
Facebook says it has removed promotion of anti-quarantine events in California, New Jersey, and Nebraska after consultation with state governments
— Donie O’Sullivan (@donie) April 20, 2020
He added that other states are now being given the deciding vote on whether their citizens can communicate through Facebook about planned protests.
“[Facebook says] it is working to get answers from New York, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Pennsylvania as to whether anti-quarantine protests breaks those states’ social distancing measures,” he wrote.
Says it is working to get answers from New York, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Pennsylvania as to whether anti-quarantine protests breaks those states’ social distancing measures.
— Donie O’Sullivan (@donie) April 20, 2020
State governments definitely don’t want to be associated with FB taking down residents’ posts – spox for PA Dept of General Services tells me they haven’t been in contact with Facebook or any other social media platforms https://t.co/t75i6ERy6A
— Evie Fordham (@eviefordham) April 20, 2020
Spox for NJ governor says the governor’s office and Facebook had been in touch but, “The governor’s office did not ask Facebook to remove pages or posts for events promoting lifting the provisions of the governor’s stay-at-home order.”https://t.co/N5pwNaRFU6
— Donie O’Sullivan (@donie) April 20, 2020
Last week, President Donald Trump tweeted his support for protests in various states. Twitter said those messages did not violate its content rules, according to Bloomberg.
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