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March 27, 2019

Chairman Thompson Statement on Facebook Announcing It’s Banning White Nationalism Content

(WASHINGTON) – Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, released the following statement on news that Facebook is banning white nationalism content from its platform:

“Finally, Facebook has acted to remove this vile and hate-filled content from its platform.  While welcomed news, this should have happened long ago.  We insist that Facebook ensures the public that it follows through on this promise, and that this announcement is not solely window dressing.  For too long, Facebook has allowed hate speech – and the violence that it can inspire – to propagate on its platform. Since billions use its service, we must demand more from them. Facebook can and must do better.”

Today, Chairman Thompson also held a Congressional briefing with representatives of the four members of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT): Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Microsoft.  He demanded they brief the Committee on Homeland Security on their efforts to prevent the dissemination of violent terrorist content after the New Zealand attack earlier this month. Chairman Thompson added the following statement after the briefing.

“While I appreciate the tech sector’s cooperation in coming to Congress to brief us on their efforts to stop the propagation of terrorist content on their platforms, we still need more information.  In the coming months, I will continue this effort by engaging with other tech and social media companies and also non-profit groups that have expertise in domestic terrorist movements and its proliferation online.”

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