Facebook’s rules change for the language of politicians

Facebook would be ready to announce the suspension of the clause it has so far guaranteed to politicians a kind of protection from the rules against violent language: the Washington Post recalled that since the 2016 American presidential elections, Zuckerberg’s social network has always made a sort of balance between the “newsworthiness” of a politician’s post and its potential danger.

This thing is about to change, however: the journalistic value of the content will no longer be a factor to protect those who carry hateful messages from any interventions: the decision is part of a series of measures that Facebook will adopt in response to recommendations of its Oversight Board, the platform’s independent control body. It is the same that had to be expressed about the possibility of reactivating the account of Donald Trump, suspended from social media after the assault on Congress by his supporters last January 6: after 4 months, the so-called Supreme court of Facebook confirmed the ban for the former president, stating however that it cannot be understood permanently (a second evaluation is expected by the end of 2021).

Furthermore, the Board recommended “adopting a clearer and more transparent policy” in relation to this type of intervention, precisely by modifying (or eliminating) the newsworthiness clause, because “the same rules must be applied to all members”, including politicians.

In recent years, Facebook, which had enacted this clause at the time of Trump’s first campaign, that even then he filled social networks with attacks on migrants and invoked the Musilm Ban, was harshly criticized for being too permissive with the former president and other prominent figures on his staff.