Facebook Starts Taking Down Some Anti-Quarantine Posts
Social media giant, Facebook is now taking down some, but not all, anti-quarantine posts in its platform. Users that are promoting and protesting about the quarantine restrictions through posts will be taken down.
The technology company’s spokesperson told the press about the decision and that it’s working with state officials regarding it. Some states including New Jersey, Nebraska, and even California are experiencing anti-stay-at-home protests.
Andy Stone, Facebook’s spokesperson, said that the protests go against the social distancing guidelines of the states. Protests have started to erupt in some states recently despite the ongoing battle of the world against the virus.
The shutdowns in various sectors have caused the number of jobless Americans to surge. This perhaps led spark the anti-social distancing unrest amongst the citizens
In recent days, technology news sites have reported backlash against the platform for allowing users to organize protests through it. Facebook came under fire. As a result, people urged the social media site to start taking down the said posts.
The social media giant is now taking down Facebook Events that promote such defiance in the aforementioned states. It’s also reported that anti-quarantine groups on the platform would also be removed.
Alyana Alfara Post, a spokeswoman from the New Jersey government confirmed that they have been communicating with Facebook over the matter. However, she also clarified that the governor’s office did not ask the company to take down the said posts and events.
The governor of Nebraska’s spokesperson, Taylor Gage, also addressed the anti-quarantine protests. According to him, the government didn’t know about the event and clarified that they didn’t ask the platform to take it down.
Other Controversies
Some users of the platform were glad that Facebook is taking down anti-quarantine posts. Of course, some citizens are not taking the severity of the virus lightly and are complying with the stay-at-home regulations.
Through modern technology and social media, the unrest in the United States has drawn attention globally.
However, the decision of the company also drew criticism from supporters of the movement including Donald Trump Jr.
The younger Trump called the move to be “very dangerous” and is against the freedom of speech.
Facebook has been a platform where protests in the US have been organized. It’s been called out several times as some protests led to death and injuries.
The company has taken down events and posts from previous protests. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has continuously defended the company’s role in protecting freedom of speech in the platform, particularly in politics.