POLITICO: Facebook Helping Out State Governments By Shutting Down Anti-Quarantine Protests

Nick Kangadis | April 20, 2020
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At this point, it's almost as if Facebook has become part of the government by doing its bidding, seemingly infringing on people's rights.

POLITICO is reporting that Facebook is shutting down anti-quarantine protest pages on Facebook aimed at organizing in-person protests at the request of state governments who have issued stay-at-home orders because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to POLITICO, Facebook "has already removed protest messages in California, New Jersey and Nebraska from its site at the urging of state governments who say those events are prohibited by stay-at-home orders, a company spokesperson said."

"Unless government prohibits the event during this time, we allow it to be organized on Facebook," the spokesperson told POLITICO. "For this same reason, events that defy government's guidance on social distancing aren’t allowed on Facebook."

That seems like a fair statement from the Facebook, but much like politicians, the platform looks to have forgotten that they serve the people that make them who they've become. Americans have the right to assemble.

Facebook can do what it likes as a private platform. But as long as protesters are wearing masks, washing their hands and staying in their vehicles - like recent protests we've seen - then who is the government, along with Facebook, to infringe upon those rights?

Without the people? Simple, nobody.

Here's video of the "Operation Gridlock" protest in Michigan last week:

 

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