Facebook's New Rules Allow Calls For 'High-Severity Violence' Against 'Dangerous Individuals'

Do not post:

Threats that could lead to death (and other forms of high-severity violence) of any target(s) where threat is defined as any of the following:

- Statements of intent to commit high-severity violence; or
- Calls for high-severity violence (unless the target is an organization or individual covered in the Dangerous Individuals and Organizations policy, or is described as having carried out violent crimes or sexual offenses, wherein criminal/predator status has been established by media reports, market knowledge of news event, etc.)
- Including content where no target is specified but a symbol represents the target and/or includes a visual of an armament to represent violence; or
- Statements advocating for high-severity violence (unless the target is an organization or individual covered in the Dangerous Individuals and Organizations policy, or is described as having carried out violent crimes or sexual offenses, wherein criminal/predator status has been established by media reports, market knowledge of news event, etc.); or
- Aspirational or conditional statements to commit high-severity violence (unless the target is an organization or individual covered in the Dangerous Individuals and Organizations policy, or is described as having carried out violent crimes or sexual offenses, wherein criminal/predator status has been established by media reports, market knowledge of news event, etc.)

Back in May, Facebook and Instagram banned me under the justification that I was a “dangerous individual”. They provided no evidence whatsoever that I had behaved in a “dangerous” manner or violated any of their policies.

Facebook has designated me a “dangerous individual” and now says it’s acceptable for its users to issue death threats against me.

This is a crime in the United Kingdom under the 1988 Malicious Communications Act which states, “Any person who sends to another person a letter, electronic communication or article of any description which conveys….a threat….is guilty of an offence.”

The largest social media company in the world with over 2 billion users literally says its fine to incite violence against me, despite this being illegal.

They are painting a target on my back.

Threats of violence and death are illegal in most western countries, including the countries where the “dangerous individuals” on Facebook’s list are based. By sanctioning violent threats against certain people based on their political viewpoints and public statements, Facebook has crossed a line that even Twitter and Google has yet to cross.