Facebook has announced it will start enforcing a ban next week on “praise, support and representation of white nationalism and separatism” on both Facebook and Instagram.
In a post Wednesday, the digital giant stated “It’s clear that these concepts are deeply linked to organized hate groups and have no place on our services.”
“Our policies have long prohibited hateful treatment of people based on characteristics such as race, ethnicity or religion — and that has always included white supremacy,” the post continues. “We didn’t originally apply the same rationale to expressions of white nationalism and separatism because we were thinking about broader concepts of nationalism and separatism — things like American pride and Basque separatism, which are an important part of people’s identity.”
Facebook says over the past few months, a review of hate figures and organizations, as defined by its Dangerous Individuals & Organizations policy, in addition to conversations with experts in race relations, has led it to conclude that white nationalism and separatism cannot be meaningfully separated from white supremacy and organized hate.
“Going forward, while people will still be able to demonstrate pride in their ethnic heritage, we will not tolerate praise or support for white nationalism and separatism.”
People searching for terms associated with white supremacy will now be directed to Life After Hate, an organization founded by former violent extremists that provides crisis intervention, education, support groups and outreach.
“Unfortunately, there will always be people who try to game our systems to spread hate. Our challenge is to stay ahead by continuing to improve our technologies, evolve our policies and work with experts who can bolster our own efforts.”
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