Facebook announced Thursday afternoon that it had designated some high-profile people, including Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who’s notorious for using anti-Semitic language, and right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, as “dangerous” and said it will be purging them from its platforms.
“We’ve always banned individuals or organizations that promote or engage in violence and hate, regardless of ideology,” the company said in a statement. “The process for evaluating potential violators is extensive and it is what led us to our decision to remove these accounts today.”
Facebook did not disclose all of the incidents that led to the accounts’ removal, saying that it had made the decisions following a period of review. The decision took into account the group’s behavior both on and offline, the company said. Factors for the removal included engaging in acts of hate or violence; calling for or carrying out acts of violence rooted in racial or ethnic prejudice; describing themselves as the follower of a hateful ideology; or using hate speech or slurs in their profiles. Having pages or groups removed previously can also lead to account removal, Facebook said.
Facebook’s move comes amid a wave of far-right violence over the past year that has included shootings in Pittsburgh; Christchurch, New Zealand; and Poway, CA. In the latter two cases, the alleged shooters announced their attentions on the hate forum 8chan and then used Facebook Live to broadcast their attacks.
