Article 

Facebook's Thinking Has 'Evolved' on Banning Holocaust Denial

 

Facebook's free speech policy no longer extends to Holocaust denial.

The company announced Monday that material which "denies or distorts" the Holocaust will be banned, CNBC reports. 

CEO Mark Zuckerberg said he has "struggled with the tension between standing for free expression and the harm caused by minimizing or denying the horror of the Holocaust," and his thinking has "evolved" amid a rise in anti-Semitic violence. 

In a blog post, Facebook vice president of content policy Monica Bickert said "the alarming level of ignorance about the Holocaust, especially among young people," was another big factor in the decision. 

She said that people who search Facebook for content related to the Holocaust will be directed to "credible information off Facebook."

Facebook also "recently banned anti-Semitic stereotypes about the collective power of Jews that often depicts them running the world or its major institutions," Bickert said. 

The move follows a Facebook boycott over the site's failure to control hate speech, reports Reuters. 

Groups including the World Jewish Congress and the Anti-Defamation League praised Facebook for taking action. 

"This has been years in the making. Having personally engaged with @Facebook on the issue, I can attest the ban on Holocaust Denial is a big deal," tweeted Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive of the ADL "Glad it finally happened." 

QUESTIONS:
1) State Facebook's new stance on Holocaust denial.

2) As per Mark Zuckerberg, how come it was not an easy task to decide on such matter?

3) What prompted the company to have a change of heart? Describe the severity of anti-Semitic violence and fake news on the platform.

4) In your opinion, what line should be drawn to control free speech on social media? Detail your answer.

5) Do you think wrong opinion on SNS is considered free speech or misinformation? Why do you think so? 

VOCABULARY/EXPRESSION: 

anti-Semitic - prejudiced against or hostile to Jews