Facebook will operate with a list of over 4,000 banned names. Users can be banned or have posts deleted if they mention any of them.
Since 2012, Facebook has had a blacklist with the names of individuals and organizations that are banned from social media because they commit or promote violence – or have done so.
If you use these names, especially in a way that can be perceived as positive, you risk having the post deleted or banned from Facebook.
According to the company, the list was created to prevent terrorist recruitment and came in the wake of increased focus on the topic at the Congress and the UN.
Now the American media has The Intercept published the whole list, which consists of over 100 pages with over 4000 names.
Breivik, Krekar and Burzum
The leaked list includes names such as Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Osama Bin Laden, and organizations such as the Taliban and the Ku Klux Klan.
Among the Norwegian names on the list are the terrorist Anders Breivik, Mulla Krekar, Vigrid and Varg Vikernes’ solo project Burzum.
The social media giant has been criticized for not being open about which words and names can lead to exclusion.
Facebook believes that publishing the list will put their employees at risk. At the same time, the company’s own supervisory board has formally recommended publication.
Criticism
“Facebook puts users in an almost impossible situation by telling them they can not post about dangerous groups and individuals, and then refusing to identify who they consider dangerous,” said Faiza Patel, head of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University. to The Intercept.
Experts who have reviewed the list published by The Intercept also believe that it is overrepresented by individuals and organizations considered enemies of the United States and its allies.
– The list seems to create two different systems, with the heaviest consequences for Muslim regions and communities, says Patel.
Three levels
According to The Intercept, the list for Facebook is divided into three levels. Level 1 names cannot be praised or supported in any way. Here we find, among other things, many terrorist organizations. At level 2, one finds mainly violent, non-state actors. Facebook users can praise level 2 individuals or groups for non-violent acts, but generally cannot express support.
Level 3 consists mainly of individuals or groups who express or encourage hatred. Here you will find, among other things, outer right groups. Facebook users can discuss these names and organizations freely, according to The Intercept.
Patel points out that Facebook, like the US government, seems to regard Muslims as more dangerous than anti-Muslim hate groups.
– Hate groups as of Southern Poverty Law Center characterized as anti-Muslim, is conspicuously absent from Facebook’s list, Patel believes.
In headwind
Facebook has been hit hard this month. First, the whistleblower Frances Haugen came forward with her criticism of the company, which is about Facebook and top manager Mark Zuckerberg putting profit before the best interests of society. Haugen repeated the criticism during a hearing in the Senate.
– I am here because I believe Facebook harms children, creates divisions and weakens our democracy, she said during the hearing.
Just a few hours later, Facebook – as well as Instagram and Whatsapp, which are owned by Facebook – were down due to technical problems. The downtime was several hours. A few days later, the site was again hit by technical issues.
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