Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg
Right-wing extremists used Facebook to make calls to overthrow the government and storm the US Capitol in the period leading up to a violent insurrection on Jan. 6, a tech watchdog group has found, contradicting attempts by the social media company to downplay the role of its platform in the affair.
A new report from Tech Transparency Project (TTP) shared with BuzzFeed News uncovered a slew of specific threats made in pro–President Donald Trump and militant groups on Facebook both before and after President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory in November. In those groups, organizers and members alike perpetuated the lie that the election results were fraudulent and made open calls to “Occupy Congress” on Jan. 6.
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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is drawing a clear line between the Republican Party and President Donald Trump. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
SIREN Senate Majority Leader
MITCH MCCONNELL today on the Senate floor: “The mob was fed lies. They were provoked by the president and other powerful people.”
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Source: AP Photo/Lisa Marie Pane
Facebook has placed a temporary ban on advertisements of weapon accessories and protective equipment until Friday. The social media company made the announcement on Friday ahead of President-elect Joe Biden s inauguration on Wednesday. We are banning ads that promote weapon accessories and protective equipment in the US at least through January 22, out of an abundance of caution, the company wrote in a blog post. We already prohibit ads for weapons, ammunition and weapon enhancements like silencers. But we will now also prohibit ads for accessories such as gun safes, vests and gun holsters in the US.
Facebook posts promoting violence during inauguration week have circulated on the platform over the past week despite a crackdown by the social media giant since the January 6 insurrection, a tech watchdog group found.