Facebook permits harrassment in new policy

Facebook now permits crime against certain people of interest. The company recently posted an update to their community standards.

 Do not post: Threats that could lead to death and other forms of high-severity violence. It also said not to post statements of intent to commit high-severity violence; or calls for violence UNLESS the target is an organization or individual covered in the Dangerous Individuals policy, or is described as having carried out violent crimes or sexual offenses, wherein criminal status has been established by media reports, market knowledge, news events, etc.

This is deadly serious. This permits threats and admittance of calls to action of violence against certain individuals. The barrier for what constitutes an individual to be acceptable is paper thin. So many people have been reported on and considered a dangerous individual. Pewdiepie could fall under this, and most certainly Paul Joseph Watson, a conservative youtube pundit now transplanted into the far reaches of the internet, where he dwells on his new platform, earning new followers everyday from people tired of youtubes new policies, not far unlike those of Facebook’s.

If you disagree with what the top heads at Facebook think, you could become an undesirable, someone deemed a nazi for disagreeing. They could ban you like they have many others today. Paul Joseph Watson, Louis Farakhan, or Alex Jones. These are figures you may not agree with. I don’t. But I believe they should be able to be present when people are using their name. If you disagree with someone, rather than ban them, debate them. Doing otherwise would fuel a fire behind the scenese that might sprout to something more than a few hyperbolic people.

Besides, if we ban people when we are in power, why would the opposition not return the favor?

By Derek J. Smith