Facebook has removed “dangerous individuals and organization” offenders today. Long criticized for their inaction regarding hate speech and misinformation, the social media giant finally took a stand. Among the removed accounts are a number of far-right extremists, including Alex Jones and his site Infowars, Paul Joseph Watson, Laura Loomer, Milo Yiannopoulos, Paul Nehlen, and Louis Farrakan.
“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.” The message Facebook sends by standing up to extremists is a good one. While freedom of speech is an American right, Facebook is a publicly traded company and can uphold its code of conduct. Not every choice made for removal will be celebrated by every person but we’re all a little better when hate doesn’t have a platform.
