Tech

Facebook to Scrub Posts That Mock George Floyd’s Death or ‘Call for Arms’

CRACKDOWN

The social media giant says they are taking steps to remove posts that incite “civil unrest or violence” as Derek Chauvin’s trial comes to a close.

George Floyd Protest
Stephen Maturen/Getty

With a verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin expected soon, Facebook announced Monday that it will be moving to limit or remove content that could lead to “civil unrest or violence,” and is designating Minneapolis a “high-risk” area. The social media giant said that Facebook events within “high-risk” areas that call for participants to bring weapons will be removed. Content that “celebrates, or mocks George Floyd’s death” will also be removed, though content related to former police officer Derek Chauvin will be regulated less tightly since Facebook has designated him a “voluntary” public figure, unlike Floyd who is considered “involuntary.” Facebook also indicated that it is outsourcing misinformation detection to a number of third-party fact-checkers.