Discussion

• @alexhern Alex Hern on x

  Facebook is training its moderators with specific rulings like “it's fine to wish death on anyone more famous than a minor local celebrity if you don't @ them in” https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

• @mylesjackman Myles Jackman on x

  “The documents define whether to distinguish between “explaining” and “justifying” the actions of terrorists, and even in what contexts it is acceptable to call for the use of “gas chambers”.” Say what? https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

• @gregde Greg DeMichillie on x

  Have we really fallen so far that Facebook is drawing distinctions between calling for the death of a public figure (deemed OK) vs minor local celebrity (OK if you don't tag them) vs private person (not OK)? https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

• @monteiro Mike Monteiro on x

  The harassment is by design. https://twitter.com/...

• @reedgalen Reed Galen on x

  Zuckerberg said Steve Bannon calling for the deaths of Dr. Fauci and FBI Director Chris Wray didn't violate their terms of service. If demanding heads on spikes doesn't cross the line on @facebook, nothing does. https://twitter.com/...

• @ekp Ellen K. Pao on x

  When you allow famous people to be targeted for death threats, you're teaching users to do exactly that. And the impact will be racist, sexist, transphobic, hateful. It's hard to imagine Facebook doesn't understand that; more likely it just doesn't care https://www.theguardian.co…

• @scobie Omid Scobie on x

  Facebook clearly not understanding the meaning of hate speech (still). @Guardian reports that their harassment policies currently allow for users to call for the death of a public figure so long as the individual is not tagged in the post. https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

• @olivercallan Oliver Callan on x

  “Facebook guidelines allow for users to call for death of public figures” Lovely company. So so glad to have Facebook in Ireland. #JobsAtAnyCost https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

• @magalidmathias @magalidmathias on x

  Wtaf “It comes as social networks face renewed criticism over abuse on their platforms, including of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and... Marcus Rashford.” Facebook guidelines allow for users to call for death of public figures https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

• @margarethodge Margaret Hodge on x

  The largest social media company in the world thinks “calls for their death” is an acceptable form of abuse. Whether you're a footballer or standing for local elections, you are exposed to this violent & harmful content. Why should we accept this? https://www.shorturl.at/otzG1

• @ccdhate @ccdhate on x

  Extraordinary report in @guardian 👇 “Promoting violence against public servants is sanctioned by Facebook if they aren't tagged in the post.” @Imi_Ahmed spoke to @alexhern about the leaked guidelines. https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

• @owen_g Owen Gibson on x

  “It is legitimate, under Facebook's harassment policies, to call for the death of a minor local celebrity so long as the user does not tag them.” Just one fascinating detail from this by @alexhern on Facebook's leaked 300 page moderator guidelines https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

• @jimwaterson Jim Waterson on x

  Helpful guide from Facebook on how to threaten a public figure with death without being banned. https://www.theguardian.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...

• @tariqpanja Tariq Panja on x

  We will be working out the extent of the damage this platform has wrought for years to come https://twitter.com/...

• @sdotsom7 Shu on x

  fine then. Kill Zuckerberg https://twitter.com/...

• @robharris Rob Harris on x

  Explains why Facebook when asked about racist abuse of footballers last month wouldn't go into specifics about the lack of zero tolerance and what it takes for a user to be banned: “We don't want people to game our system.” https://twitter.com/...

• @fingalpimpernel @fingalpimpernel on x

  I guess that explains why unofficial Shinner groups all over FB find it grand to hurl death threats casually at senior mainstream political figures here. Makes sense now. https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

• @annaturley Anna Turley on x

  Totally unsurprised by this. https://twitter.com/...

• @thattimwalker Tim Walker on x

  Really, @nick_clegg? Is this really what you stand for? https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

• @jason_kint Jason Kint on x

  Unfair. The issue isn't incompetence but a willful decision to put connecting and profiting first in line. “She described Facebook, which was founded in the US, as having ‘little language capability and zero cultural competency.’” https://twitter.com/...

• @emmalbriant @emmalbriant on x

  Well this article explains a lot. It also helps illuminate the problems that just cannot be left up to an unaccountable unelected profit-oriented private company https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @jason_kint Jason Kint on x

  For Thursday's hearing with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Congress is going to need to choose their questions between insurrection, genocide, sex trafficking, prior false testimony, antitrust and privacy abuses. Do I have this right?

• @slpng_giants @slpng_giants on x

  .@Facebook is a danger to society. https://twitter.com/...

• @stellacreasy @stellacreasy on x

  Hmm- looking forward to trying to explain to my daughter (and indeed rest of my family who on the whole quite like having me around) that because her mum is a politician @Facebook gives a free pass on death threats...https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

• @benquinn75 Ben Quinn on x

  Facebook guidelines allow for users to call for death of public figures https://www.theguardian.com/ ... startling stuff via @alexhern

• @jamie4north Jamie Stone MP on x

  Facebook's rules should be TRANSPARENT. They shouldn't have to be leaked for us to find out what they are. Also, the rules allow public figures to receive death threats... apparently that's not harassment?🤯 https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

• @alexhern Alex Hern on x

  The secrecy means that Facebook doesn't have to address apparent inconsistencies between the rules it applies, and the values it claims to hold. So even as the company is fighting a PR battle over the accusations that it does little to prevent abuse of black footballers...

• @alexhern Alex Hern on x

  These documents are what @Klonick described as the “case law” of Facebook's quasi-legal system. They're not the rules themselves, but they're the fine detail that allows Facebook to apply the general principles to specific situations. Except that unlike case law - they're secret.

• @alexhern Alex Hern on x

  Over the past few months, I've been going through hundreds of pages of moderation documents used by Facebook to guide its contractors over how the company's guidelines should be implemented in practice: https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

• @alexhern Alex Hern on x

  That means that only Facebook's moderators got to know the detail of the company's decisions about when to follow state law, and when to ignore it, or about how Facebook enforces the rules that ban Qanon in practice https://www.theguardian.com/ ...