Facebook extending ban on hate speech to white nationalism, white separatism | CBC News

Facebook is extending its ban on hate speech to prohibit the promotion and support of white nationalism and white separatism.

The social network said Wednesday that it didn't apply the ban previously to expressions of white nationalism because it linked such expressions with broader concepts of nationalism and separatism such as American pride or Basque separatism, which are still allowed.

But civil rights groups and academics called this view "misguided" and have long pressured the company to change its stance.

Facebook said it concluded after months of "conversations" with them that white nationalism and separatism cannot be meaningfully separated from white supremacy and organized hate groups.

Critics have "raised these issues to the highest levels at Facebooka number of working meetings with their staff, as we've tried to get them to the right place," said Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a Washington, D.C.-based legal advocacy group.

"This is long overdue as the country continues to deal with the grip of hate and the increase in violent white supremacy," she said.

"Arguably these categories should always fall within the community guidelines of hate speech, but nevertheless it's positive the clarification has now been made in the wake of the attack in Christchurch," she said at a news conference in Wellington.

As part of Wednesday's change, people who search for terms associated with white supremacy on Facebook will be directed to a group called Life After Hate, which was founded by former extremists who want to help people leave the violent far-right.

Clarke called the idea that white supremacism is different than white nationalism or white separatism a misguided "distinction without a difference."

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