According to multiple reports, Facebook had failed to shut down a militia group page that called for armed civilians to defend Kenosha, Wisconsin, just before the recent shooting despite several complaints.
The majority of complaints about the group, Kenosha Guard, came after it was found making the call to arms to defend the region. Kenosha had seen a new wave of police brutality protests since Sunday 23rd August 2020.
The recent protests are a result of a local police officer shooting a black man, Jacob Blake, in the back seven times. Thus, in the wake of the new mass protests, the Kenosha Guard page surfaced. From the beginning, the Facebook group violated most of the platform’s regulations on violence.
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Yet, it remained on the platform. In fact, The Verge says that it was about nine hours after the shooting that Facebook finally brought down the Kenosha Guard page.
In a statement, Zuckerberg said contractors and reviewers, who received the initial complaints did not do anything about it. “And on second review, doing it more sensitively, the team that’s responsible for dangerous organizations recognized that this violated the policies, and we took it down,” Facebook CEO said.
In addition, the social media company has promised to be on the lookout for ‘contents’ supporting the shooting; and says it shut them down before users see them.
Facebook’s lackadaisical attitude had led to an outcry. Although, Zuckerberg said that there is no evidence that Kyle Rittenhouse had gone to Kenosha due to the page’s call. Yet, its attitude towards taking down insensitive content has cast it in a bad light already.
For a clearer picture of the incident; Kyle Rittenhouse, is the 17-year-old that killed two protesters, Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, injuring another in Kenosha. Rittenhouse identifies himself as being part of the militia members that are defending the city.
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