TDs attack Facebook for inaction
TDs condemn tech giant for refusal to take down ‘incendiary’ eviction posts
FACEBOOK has been widely condemned for its refusal to remove incitements to violence against those involved in the Roscommon eviction.
Several TDs expressed their anger and dismay at the supine stance taken by the social network, which was accused of ‘losing its moral compass’.
Chairwoman of the Oireachtas Communications Committee Hildegarde Naughton said: ‘It is totally unacceptable that such threats of violence are allowed to remain on the Facebook platform.’
FACEBOOK has been accused of losing its ‘moral compass’ over its refusal to remove inflammatory incitements to violence against those involved in the Roscommon eviction.
Incendiary posts on a page on the social media platform calls for violent action against KBC Bank’s boss and the security firm involved, using threats of bombing, shooting and kneecappings.
Incredibly, Facebook said it had reviewed the page in question and found it ‘not to be in violation of our policies’, leading to widespread condemnation of the social media giant and accusations of ‘inciting violence’, by a raft of TDs and senators.
Chairwoman of the Oireachtas Communications Committee Hildegarde Naughton said: ‘It is totally unacceptable that such threats of violence are allowed to remain on the Facebook platform. Facebook needs to learn that they also have a social responsibility and that means not allowing their site be used to propagate hate, vigilantism and illegal activity.
‘If threats to kneecap or shoot people doesn’t constitute a breach of Facebook’s acceptable content policy, I have to conclude that they have lost their moral compass,’ the Galway West Fine Gael TD declared.
‘It is completely unacceptable that social media platforms can avoid responsibility in this manner. No newspaper, radio station or television programme would be allowed, to carry such content. Nor should any social media platform.’
Posts which appeared on the ‘Anti Eviction Flying Column’ Facebook page called for KBC boss Wim Verbraeken to be attacked at his home, for ‘the gun to be brought back into play’ and for bailiffs to be ‘shot on site & fed to the pigs’. Yet a Facebook
‘Incitement of voilence’
spokesman told the Irish Daily Mail that while there was ‘no place for content such as bullying, incitement or glorification of violence on Facebook’, the page in question would not be shut down.
Its response has provoked a furious reaction from TDs and senators across the political divide.
Asked about the page yesterday, Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said: ‘I would hope that where there is law breaking or where people are making contact with each other inciting law breaking, that again they would be brought to justice. [There is] no room in our society for people urging others to apply illegal activities in communities.’
James Lawless, the Fianna Fáil spokesman on the digital world, said it was ‘tantamount to the incitement of violence’. ‘Facebook are continually shirking their responsibility in this area,’ he told the Mail.
‘They claim to be a platform rather than a publisher, which is a way in which they can legally evade their responsibilities. We have seen this time and again with Facebook.
‘I have been calling for social media regulation for two years now, and the tolerance of this sort of violent pages is happening globally.
‘As long as the advertising money is rolling in, it appears they are happy to take the content.
‘The more controversial, the more hits, the more views, the better – at least as far as Facebook is concerned,’ the Kildare North TD said.
‘But it is not acceptable. I’ve seen this Facebook page and this kind of thing is tantamount to provocation of violence. It is incitement.’ His col- league, Dublin West TD Jack Chambers, said: ‘Facebook has a hands-off approach, and is taking no responsibility for its own content.
‘But it is now clear that Facebook’s attitude, shocking as it is, has to be dealt with by legislation. Self-regulation is clearly not good enough because it isn’t happening.
‘My colleague, James Lawless, has
tabled draft legislation to regulate social media. His Bill would bring a greater level of accountability at a public level.’
Fine Gael Senator Catherine Noone said she was not surprised by Facebook’s indifferent response to the shocking material.
‘It’s hugely worrying that Facebook don’t take a more proactive role when it comes to these kinds of violent threats. It’s clearly a very dangerous forum.
‘Facebook is meant to be fun, light and social. But they have to take responsibility when there is incitement to violence and the facilitation of vigilantism,’ she said.
‘I can’t say that I’m surprised they’re refusing to act based on the dealings that I’ve had with them over the years.’
She added: ‘Whatever your view on the issue of evictions, this kind of violence has to be condemned. Facebook are not serious in their approach to these issues and that has to change.’
Last night a spokesman for Facebook said: ‘We believe that Facebook should be a place where people can engage in lively and critical debate around the issues that matter to them. However, if debate tips into bullying, hate speech or credible threats of violence then we will take action on those comments or individuals. We encourage our community to report anything that worries them using our reporting tools on every single page, profile and piece of content on Facebook.’
Facebook said it was governed by a set of community standards and if they are broken, it would move quickly and take appropriate action when made aware of it.