Citing “rising anti-Semitism”, Facebook to ban holocaust denial posts
Citing a rise in anti-Semitism, Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has announced a ban on posts that deny or distort the Holocaust, and will direct users to authoritative sources if they search for the Holocaust on the social media platform.
“I’ve struggled with the tension between standing for free expression and the harm caused by minimizing or denying the horror of the Holocaust. My own thinking has evolved as I’ve seen data showing an increase in anti-Semitic violence... Drawing the right lines between what is and isn’t acceptable speech isn’t straightforward, but with the current state of the world, I believe this is the right balance.”
Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday.
Last week, Facebook banned groups that openly supported QAnon, the conspiracy theory falsely suggesting U.S. President Donald Trump is a champion against a ‘deep state’ run by child-trafficking government officials and celebrities. The social media platform previously said it would only ban QAnon content which incited violence.
One recent survey of U.S. adults aged 18-39 found that almost one quarter believed the Holocaust might not have happened, was exaggerated, or was a total myth. 63% of respondents to the survey, commissioned by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, did not know that 6 million Jews were killed by the Nazis. 36% thought the number of Jews killed by Nazis was “two million or fewer”.
“This has been years in the making. Having personally engaged with Facebook on this issue, I can attest the ban on Holocaust denial is a big deal… I wish this had happened five years ago, three years ago, or even earlier this year.”
Anti-Defamation League chief executive Jonathan Greenblatt.