Facebook Suspends Controversial Politician For 24 Hours, Leading To Accusations Of Censorship

This week, Facebook’s parent company Meta suspended controversial Georgia politician Marjorie Taylor Greene for 24 hours for spreading COVID-19 misinformation. The decision came just a day after Twitter permanently banned Greene for the same issue.

Not surprisingly, Facebook’s suspension caused Greene and other like-minded lawmakers to accuse the social media giant of censoring free speech.

“Who appointed Twitter and Facebook to be the authorities of information and misinformation?” Greene wrote. “When Big Tech decides what political speech of elected Members is accepted and what’s not then they are working against our government and against the interest of our people.”

For its part, Meta seemed to admit that it in fact does not want the responsibility of making these decisions.

“A post violated our policies and we have removed it; but removing her account for this violation is beyond the scope of our policies,” Meta said in a statement.

Of course, Facebook has put itself in the position of moderating speech online, so whether it wants the power or not, the company must do something to stop the spread of dangerous information. However, Greene is also correct that the company shouldn’t have so much power in the first place. As usual, Facebook finds itself in a no-win situation, and no matter what it does, the company is sure to irritate both sides of the political spectrum.




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