UPDATE: Facebook has deleted its new policy that allowed violent threats against “dangerous individuals” after a backlash. “Dangerous individuals” included anyone Facebook didn’t like.
Facebook has issued a new policy update saying it’s acceptable to post death threats and incite violence against me, despite this being a crime in the United Kingdom.
No, I’m not joking.
A Community Standards update published by Facebook states (emphasis mine); “Do not post: Threats that could lead to death (and other forms of high-severity violence) of any target(s) where threat is defined as any of the following:
Statements of intent to commit high-severity violence; or
Calls for high-severity violence (unless the target is an organization or individual covered in the Dangerous Individuals and Organizations policy)….”
Back in May, Facebook and Instagram banned me under the justification that I was a “dangerous individual”. They provided no evidence whatsoever that I had behaved in a “dangerous” manner or violated any of their policies.
Facebook has designated me a “dangerous individual” and now says it’s acceptable for its users to issue death threats against me.
This is a crime in the United Kingdom under the 1988 Malicious Communications Act which states, “Any person who sends to another person a letter, electronic communication or article of any description which conveys….a threat….is guilty of an offence.”
The largest social media company in the world with over 2 billion users literally says its fine to incite violence against me, despite this being illegal.
They are painting a target on my back.
Innumerable individuals have already sent death threats to me via Facebook. Just a small sample appear below.
People ask me if I report death threats. No, otherwise I'd have time for very little else. pic.twitter.com/3ipGqHUxXd
Two months ago, via my lawyers, I filed a Subject Access Request demanding Facebook turn over all information relating to me. Facebook has yet to respond to this request, despite it being a legal requirement to respond within 30 days.
If and when Facebook ever responds to this legal demand, the next step will be to begin litigation proceedings.
The fact that Facebook has literally said it’s OK to incite violence against me is going to be a very interesting potential addition to those proceedings.
Rand Paul: Elon Musk Will Go Down As A Historic Champion For Free Speech
“Somewhere along the way something happened and people began to think that only certain forms of speech were acceptable.”
Published
3 weeks ago
on
18 May, 2023
Steve Watson
Screenshot
Senator Rand Paul praised Elon Musk Wednesday for standing up for free speech, predicting that the Twitter owner will be recorded as a key figure in history in the fight against censorship.
Referring to Musk’s compelling take down of a CNBC hack earlier this week, Paul noted “Thank God for someone who can still speak their mind and won’t take some guff off a journalist who tells him he can’t speak his mind.”
“Somewhere along the way something happened and people began to think that only certain forms of speech were acceptable,” The Senator urged.
“Then along came Elon Musk,” Paul continued, adding “The country, the Bill of Rights frankly, all of us, are going to be very thankful that a guy with a lot of money bought a social media entity and allowed us to see the government colluding to limit speech.”
“People need to get this right. Private companies can decide what they want to air, newspapers can, television shows can. But what we cannot allow to happen is the government to collude with private business and use them basically as their extension and their arm of censor,” Paul emphasised.
He added that “Elon Musk exposed this only because he had 44 billion dollars to buy a company and expose their inner workings off collusion with government.”
Watch:
Rand Paul:
"Then along came Elon Musk. The country, the Bill of Rights frankly, all of us, are going to be very thankful that a guy with a lot of money bought a social media entity and allowed us to see the government colluding to limit speech."pic.twitter.com/8DFeUtTqAL
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) May 18, 2023