INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
After weeks of speculation around how it plans to handle conspiracy website Infowars, its creator Alex Jones and others that spread false
information, Facebook finally gave us an answer: inconsistently.
The company hit Jones with a 30-day ban after it removed four videos that
he shared on the Infowars Facebook Page.
The move is Facebook first that curtails the reach of Jones, who has been a major talking point in
the media because he is continually allowed a voice on the social network, despite spreading &alternative theories& on events like 9/11 and
the San Bernardino shootings.
Confusion
Sounds good so far, but, for a six-hour periodtoday, it didn''t seem as thoughFacebook itself even
knew what is going on.
CNET reported that Jones& had been hit by a 30-day suspension for posting four videos that violate its community
standards on the Infowars page that counts him as a moderator
When reached by TechCrunch to confirm the report, Facebook said Jones had only been handed a warning and that, in the event of another
warning, a 30-day ban would then follow.
After hours of waiting for further confirmation and emails to the contrary, Facebook clarified that
in fact Jones& personal account was given a 30-day ban, while Infowars received a warning but no ban.
Facebook is literally shooting the
messenger but allowing the page — which pushed the video out to its audience — to remain in place.
In subsequent emails, Facebook
explained that the inconsistency is because Jones& personal account had already received a past warning, which triggers the 30-day ban
Surprisingly, though, this is a first warning for the Infowars page.
At least, that what we think has happened because Facebook hasn''t
fully clarified the exact summary of events
(We have asked.)
Beyond the four videos, there a lot riding on this decision — it sets a precedent
Infowars is one of the largest of its kind, but there are plenty of other organizations that thrive on pumping out misleading/false content
that plays into insecurities, misplayed nationalisticpride and more.
That why Infowars (involuntarily) became the subject of two Facebook
video events held with press his month
On both occasions, Facebook executives said that even those peddling false information deserve to have a voice on the social network, no
matter how questionable or inflammatory their views may be.CEO Mark Zuckerberg himself even said Holocaust deniers have free speech on the
service.
Based on today, so long as they spew their message within the Facebook community rules, they are fine.
Follow fast
In fact, you
could take it further and suggest that if they don''t raise the suspicions of rival platforms like YouTube, they&ll remain untouched on
Facebook.
The Jones/Infowars videos were pulled by Facebook days after being removed from YouTube
Indeed, one of the Facebook videos had even survived a review after it was flagged to Facebook moderators last month
The reviewer marked the video as acceptable and it remained on the platform — until this week.
Facebook called that decision a mistake,
but arguably it a mistake that wouldn''t have been rectified had YouTube not raised the alarm by banning the videos on its platform first
(YouTube has well-documented content moderation problems so that it is it running circles around Facebook should draw much concern from the
social network management.)
That Facebook is unable to communicate a significant decision like this in a cohesive manner doesn''t give the
confidence to think it has its house in order when it comes to video moderation
If anything, it shows that the social network is playing catch up and winging what is a critical topic.
Its platform is being used
nefariously worldwide, whether it is to sway elections or incite racial violence in foreign lands, so now, more than ever, Facebook needs to
nail down the basics of handling malicious content like Infowars which, unlike those other threats, is hiding in plain sight.
