March 13, 2022

"This week, Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta Platforms — the parent company of Facebook and Instagram — decided that people could temporarily use those platforms to call for the deaths of other people."

"Not anyone or anywhere, to be clear: Users are only allowed to call for the killing of Russian soldiers, Russian president Vladimir Putin, and his Belarusian counterpart, Aleksander Lukashenko, and only in specific ways related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.... The specifics here are important, because Meta is walking an absurdly fine line with these new exceptions to its hate-speech policy. According to internal Meta documents obtained by Reuters, calls to assassinate Putin and Lukashenko will be taken down if they have 'two indicators of credibility, such as the location or method' of the assassination, or additionally target other people. The new policies only apply to users in Ukraine, Russia, and other neighboring countries. General statements of violence against the Russian people, or that indicate Russophobia, will also be taken down.... In response to the policies, Russia on Friday moved to label Meta an 'extremist organization' and open a criminal investigation into the company, as well as ban Instagram.... ... Zuckerberg is not only abandoning any pretense that Russia will ever allow them to do business there again, but openly inviting questions about why other leaders or military forces are protected from threats, as well as what other wars the company will or will not deem worthy of intervention...."

From "Facebook Is Now Allowing Itself to Be Weaponized" (Intelligencer).

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67 comments:

Achilles said...

First it was Canadian Truckers.

Now Russians.

This isn't the first group of people Facebook has allowed to promote violence against.

They will openly be calling for Trump supporters to be persecuted soon.

It has been very thinly veiled before now.

rehajm said...

Just. Get. Off. Facebook.

(I’m old enough to remember when that advice was considered unconsidered in this place.)

Stay Safe said...

Ann, I am sure your commentariat will bemoan how unfair the new Hitler is being treated by Meta.

mikee said...

Temporary allowance of hate? I'm guessing about two minutes per day, or am I just remembering that time frame from some other situation where hatred was promoted by social media?

Big Mike said...

So basically Facebook’s policy is whatever Zuckerberg pulls out of his ass on a given day.

Kevin Rogers said...

.. And when "they" perceive some US politician is a "threat" to whatever Facebook/Meta" believes ... that means FB can also call for their death??
(This is a FB attempt to exert more influence (from denial of a platform .. to now calling for death)of those they do not agree with. FRIGHTENING!!

Kevin Rogers said...

.. And when "they" perceive some US politician is a "threat" to whatever Facebook/Meta" believes ... that means FB can also call for their death??
(This is a FB attempt to exert more influence (from denial of a platform .. to now calling for death)of those they do not agree with. FRIGHTENING!!

Jupiter said...

Facebook has been weaponized since before Zuck stole it.

I do like the idea that calling for Putin's assassination is only allowed if you are a bit vague as to where and how. I'd like to read the memo explaining to the Fact-checkers how they are supposed to sort that one out. I mean, obviously, you can't say "Sneak into his bedroom and slash his throat from ear to ear while he sleeps!". That's obvious, right? We can all see that that would be unacceptable, in Mountain View California or anywhere else on the entire Earth. Obvious. But what about "Find him wherever he may hide, and kill him by any means available!". Now, does that say where and how? Or not? See, that's why Zuck's fact-checkers make the big bucks. I can't even imagine the training they must have in order to do their vital work.

Quaestor said...

Yet another display of naked hypocrisy of the American left.

Just to establish the ground rules, Quaestor despises Putin and all his works. Ukraine is the victim of unjust aggressive war unseen on this planet since 1939. Don't take what follows as any form of aid and comfort granted to the common enemy of decent civilization.

The assassination of the enemy's supreme leader is the idiot's tactic of choice. The historic record of assassination is abysmal. Brutus and the conspirators thought they were saving Rome from despotism, but their dagger strokes killed the Republic as surely as Caesar. And so it goes from ancient time until today -- the consequences of assassination are generally far worse than the intended benefits the assassin hopes to achieve. The exceptional cases are few.

Facebook's indulgence of moronic revenge fantasies is welcome only as evidence of its corporate immortality and corruption.

rehajm said...

…and worth repeating: 18 of 20 Facebook "independent" fact checkers have ties to political activist Soros or his foundations

Narayanan said...

So basically Facebook’s policy is whatever Zuckerberg pulls out of his ass on a given day.
=========
that is action by private company owner/founder.

if it is pulled out of Biden's Depends I shall frown.

Quaestor said...

While I was composing my comment, a newcomer called "Stay Safe" chimed in with illustrative nincompoopery.

Thanks, Stay Safe. I could not have wished for more damning evidence of my thesis.

Jupiter said...

Hmmmm.... Do you think Putin could get some of those Russian hackers that colluded with Trump to steal the 2016 election to set up his own Facebook? On which it would be allowed to call for Zuck's death? Or would that be unfair?

LakeLevel said...

Here's the real scary scenario: Zuck level billionaires will be the first to get ahold of really powerful, general-purpose AI. They will use this AI will give them advice on how to expand their fortunes and power. At some point these AI devices will tell them who needs to die in order for them to gain more power. Yikes. It's not AI we need to fear. It's what people will do with it.

Howard said...

Some things are best left unsaid.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

From M Taibbi : Moral panics erase memories. It’s their primary function. 9/11 wiped the national hard drive of everything from the third degree to My Lai to Operations Phoenix and Condor to the Church Committee to the School of the Americas to countless other shameful episodes, and the lessons learned from them. The Trump-Russia scandal blotted out Snowden, made the spooks the good guys again. 2016 rehabilitated neoconservatives, now reinvented as never-Trumpers, cleaning away the shame of Iraq, Abu Ghraib, Afghanistan, etc.

The “misinformation” panic wiped out the WMD fiasco, restoring honor to credentialed press. The DNC leak erased “Collateral Murder.” After George Floyd we hated cops, after January 6th we loved them. Ukraine now is openly being sold as a blue-pill cure for everything that went wrong during the War on Terror, including the recent defeat in Afghanistan. “Realism” is in disgrace, and “leadership,” “regime change,” and the “universal appeal of freedom” are back, only this time their primary backers are the upper-class cosmopolitan Democrats who marched against the simplistic “freedom against evil” plot neoconservatives tried to sell them twenty years ago.

We’re at the end of a twenty-year cycle that has taken what was once the oppositional-skeptic portion of the American population and seen them rallied behind the people they once hated the most. This has been accomplished by keeping us in a rage that always escalates and is never watered down by contradictions, thanks to mastery of “reality control” via “an unending series of victories over your own memory.”

The relentless parade of panics listed above (just a small sample; we’ve had dozens just in the last few years) makes those victories easy, and every time we switch targets, from Russians to neo-Nazis to cops to transphobes to insurrectionists to the unvaccinated to truckers and back to Russians again, the Church of Forgetting picks up new converts.

Chris Lopes said...

At least they are admitting it's actual policy now and not some maladjusted algorithm. Of course that also puts them in the position of being a publisher instead of just a platform.

Phuc Dims said...

Does this mean it's OK to call for deaths for anyone at facebook? Asking for a friend.

MadTownGuy said...

Jupiter said...

"Facebook has been weaponized since before Zuck stole it."

Yes.

rehajm said...

"…and worth repeating: 18 of 20 Facebook "independent" fact checkers have ties to political activist Soros or his foundations."

...and that identifies the trajectory of the weaponization.

Ann Althouse said...

This post has been behaving in strange ways that are making me paranoid. At first, it published on my other site, Althouse2, which is just a place I keep as a backup in the event of technical problems here. I followed my ordinary way of doing a post, and it went up over there.

Then, on my bookmark to the Blogger page that collects all my posts, it turned into a bookmark for Althouse2 posts! I had to go to "manage bookmarks" and insert the right URL for the "Blogger:posts" page.

This is something that has never happened before.

Kai Akker said...

Zuckabug the wizad he gonna get you whitey

Kai Akker said...

---Yikes. It's not AI we need to fear. It's what people will do with it.

Which is exactly what Z fears. Or even simpler -- the guillotine is pretty low-tech.

Maybe put him in a Dostoevsky lineup. See how he holds up.

Sebastian said...

"people could temporarily use those platforms to call for the deaths of other people."

Just as we temporarily exclude Russia from international finance, or temporarily seize Russian assets--for short-term gain but long-term harm to basic trust in the system as a whole.

"General statements of violence against the Russian people, or that indicate Russophobia, will also be taken down"

Easy to distinguish. No doubt Nick Clegg knows how.

"openly inviting questions about why other leaders or military forces are protected from threats, as well as what other wars the company will or will not deem worthy of intervention...."

This to defend and protect the "rule-based international order." Putin and Xi and Modi and the mullahs watch and learn.

Narr said...

Prof@450 reports unusual behavior by Blogger. It's either Putin, or much more likely, a warning shot into your leg by the PTB.

Everyone here should assume that everything they post or email will be scrutinized for crimethink and act accordingly, whether the narcs that hang out here looking for subversives find any or not.

America: nice while it lasted.

Sebastian said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Narr said...

I think Putin should be killed in the kitchen, with the knife.

gilbar said...

hmmm
first they came for the Canadian Truckers and i did not speak out-because i was not a Trucker
then they came for the Russian Leadership and i did not speak out-because i was not a russian
then they came for the Trump supporters and i did not speak out-because i was not a supporter
Then they came for me, and no one gave a sh*t because i was an asshole that didn't care

David Begley said...

Ann:

Big Brother is watching YOU.

FullMoon said...

Ok if Putin calls for death of American politicians?

Rusty said...

Howard said...
"Some things are best left unsaid."
You should practice that sometime.

Mike of Snoqualmie said...

Facebook is channeling Woodrow Wilson and his Great War assaults on German-Americans. Pretty soon, Mark Zuckerbot will be deploying his antifa goons to suppress any support for Russian-Americans. He'll be bribing local governments to prosecute them like he bribed government officials in the 2020 election. I look forward to seeing Zuckerbot in an orange jumpsuit after his arrest for bribery.

madAsHell said...

Why do I think Facebook is run by a bunch of 14-year-old girls?

madAsHell said...

This is something that has never happened before.

Did you get an automatic update from Apple???

Mike of Snoqualmie said...

This is something that has never happened before.

It's ghosts in the machinery, brought to you by Mark Zuckerbot.

Dude1394 said...

That is one evil organization.

Dude1394 said...

Achilles..

first it was "punch a nazi today" --- you determine who is a nazi
then it was "punch a trump supporter today " --- you determine who is a trump supporter.
THEN it was the canadian truckers...

Jim at said...

Ann, I am sure your commentariat will bemoan how unfair the new Hitler is being treated by Meta.

I'm sure you're wrong.

We're pointing out the inconsistencies on who gets to be Zuck's preferred target of leftist hate.

PM said...

What you described - allowing, encouraging, public death wishes as long as they're directed 'properly'- is one more sick, fucked-up milestone in the world of social media. I treasure my flip phone. And your friendships.

Lurker21 said...

Didn't realize Lindsey Graham had such clout with Zuckerberg ...

Bob Boyd said...

This post has been behaving in strange ways that are making me paranoid.

Imagine how Putin feels.

Joe Smith said...

Liberals have been using these platforms to call for the death of Trump for ages...what's the big problem?

If you hate the right people you're fine...

PB said...

Mere virtue signalling. What Facebook nitwits do best.

Lurker21 said...

How long before Zuck and our other oligarchs cut out the middlemen and start commissioning assassinations themselves?

doctrev said...

I think it's particularly cruel how Big Tech photoshopped that hat onto your avatar, Professor. You have grounds for criminal charges, forget the lawsuit.

Anyways. Putin would probably gain 5% approval in Russia for bombing Meta Corp HQ. And 14% in America.

rcocean said...

Did you ever suspect foriegn agents?

Russian agents?

They're everywhere.

Quaestor said...

This post has been behaving in strange ways that are making me paranoid.

Most likely this was a side-effect of a DNS issue. From time to time Google propagates new IP maps of their servers and backups, which usually happen overnight on a Sat/Sun.

Big Mike said...

@Narayanan, the problem is not that they’re doing something illegal. It’s that in order to use their services there needs to be predictability. People need to know what the rules are, and the user community needs to know that those rules will be enforced fairly and even-handedly. As a company, they can do anything they want. As users, people should consider whether arbitrary rules arbitrarily enforced are in their interest.

Jon Burack said...

Is it still okay on Facebook for the mullahs in Iran to call for the annihilation of the entire state of Israel?

Breezy said...

Does this turn of events help Trump’s lawsuit against Facebook for banning him?

Bob Boyd said...

This is something that has never happened before.

Another thing that has never happened before: a 21st century, online, cancel culture mob has gone to war against a nation state ruled by a man with a 19th century mindset and six thousand 20th century nuclear weapons.

Temujin said...

Wait. Facebook allowing itself to be weaponized is considered news?

Weaponization is it's raison d'être.

Achilles said...

Stay Safe said...

Ann, I am sure your commentariat will bemoan how unfair the new Hitler is being treated by Meta.

Actually we are just going to point out that anyone that opposes democrats is always the new Hitler and deserves to be attacked and persecuted.

First it was Russian Collusion and all Trump supporters are putin puppets. That turned out to be a complete lie.

Then it was people who aren't wearing masks are killing everyone. That turned out to be a complete lie.

Then Trump supporters killed Officer Brian Sicknick and Trump supporters are all insurrectionists. That turned out to be a complete lie.

Now we are on to if you don't support killing Russians and starting world war 3 you are a Putin puppet. This whole shit show is built on a complete lie.

Joe Biden started this war. Joe Biden is making sure this war continues as long as possible.

His supporters are doing what they always do. They cling to the latest lie and attack their political enemies.

They are just shitty people.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

“This is something that has never happened before.“

Now that you say that, over the last couple days I’m seeing posted one of your pictures, miniaturized, at the end of several posts, for no apparent reason that I could surmise.

Here’s the picture I’m seeing 👉🏽 https://flic.kr/p/2n87NhR

Maybe somebody else is seeing what I’m seeing 🤷🏽‍♂️

frenchy said...

It appears, naturally, to entirely depend on whose ox is being gored.

Interested Bystander said...

The sooner we rid ourselves of these fascist bastards running social media the better. Hopefully a conservative, no Republican, but conservative congress will outlaw what these fascist censorious asswipes are doing and the sooner the better. There's never been a bigger threat to freedom in my (getting) long lifetime.

Interested Bystander said...

"Blogger mikee said...
Temporary allowance of hate? I'm guessing about two minutes per day, or am I just remembering that time frame from some other situation where hatred was promoted by social media?

3/13/22, 3:18 PM"


Mikee, you win this thread. You put it perfectly.

effinayright said...

Big Mike said...
@Narayanan, the problem is not that they’re doing something illegal. It’s that in order to use their services there needs to be predictability. People need to know what the rules are, and the user community needs to know that those rules will be enforced fairly and even-handedly. As a company, they can do anything they want. As users, people should consider whether arbitrary rules arbitrarily enforced are in their interest.
***************

Does the term "Anti-Trust Act" strike a familiar note? Can a company libel or slander a private person without consequences? If not, why is Kyle Rittenhouse suing? How did the Covington kid Nick Sandmann win against CNN?

How about Section 230?

Show your work.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

This post has been behaving in strange ways that are making me paranoid.

Imagine how Putin feels.


Putin uses no computer or smartphone. Doesn’t trust the security of such technology. And is fairly adept at limiting Russian access to WWW, or so he’s been told. Probably by the same guys that said they’d topple Kiev “in 48 hours tops!”

Rory said...

Wikipedia, on Radio in Rwanda:

"Leading up to the genocide, there were 294 instances of the RTLM accusing the Rwandan Patriotic Army of atrocities against the Hutu, along with 252 broadcasts that call for Hutus to kill the Tutsis. One such broadcast stated, "Someone must ... make them disappear for good ... to wipe them from human memory ... to exterminate the Tutsi from the surface of the earth." By the time the violence began, the young Hutu population had absorbed months of racist propaganda that characterized all Tutsis as dangerous enemies that must be killed before they seized control of the country. The RTLM's role in the genocide earned it the nickname "Radio Machete" as it related to their incitement to genocide."

gadfly said...

Why did the American fascist cross the road?

Certainly not to defend Ukraine

From Boo Radley's Meds

It is hard to miss every time one checks the news: Lines of Ukrainian civilians waiting patiently to be handed guns to go defend — and quite possibly die for — their country against Vladimir Putin’s criminal and savage invasion.

I mean, who now does not have a gun in that long-suffering nation?

It would seem to be a dream come true for America’s 2nd amendment, um, enthusiasts, including the NRA, gun lobby and supposed news outlets such as Fox.

The idea of every citizen armed to fight enemies foreign and domestic is a basic tenet for these supposed patriots.

And yet, outside of a few crickets, there is an overwhelming silence about any shared beliefs with the Ukrainian heroes.

No, the only noise is coming from the pro-Putin Republican “Americans,” such as U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn [Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is a “thug” and his government “evil”], former President Trump [I haven't got time, go here], and of course, Putin’s biggest fanboy, Fox’s Tucker Carlson [“Russia is only protecting its interests and security”].

While there have been some reports of Americans heading to Ukraine, it’s unknown if there is any prevalent domestic political philosophy among them. (It is easier for me to think of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade [Formed by Communists' International] in the Spanish Civil War than backers of Gen. Bone Spurs.)

But certainly, there appears to be no organized effort among these sunshine patriots.

A bit disappointing, given how brave they are when terrorizing unarmed Americans during their marches and rallies — and attempted coups.

Why did the American fascist cross the road?

To run away, to run very far away

Lurker21 said...

How long before Facebook bans are accompanied by a death sentence and a contract hit? Trump beware!

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

"A bit disappointing, given how brave they are when terrorizing unarmed Americans during their marches and rallies — and attempted coups."

A stirring condemnation of BLM thuggery and their Democrat supporters! Thank you, sir.

Rusty said...

Gadfly @ 12:42
You don't say much, but when you do, you don't say much.

n.n said...

The meta of umbrella corporation.

Butkus51 said...

Gadfly. Why you so worried about Ukraines border?

DanTheMan said...

>>Why did the American fascist cross the road?

To break the windows at Starbucks?
To pull down a statue?
To burn down a police station?

Gravel said...

Next up: mandatory Two Minutes' Hate.