Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently refereed between employees who went into a heated debate about racial bias in the company forum.
The feud started after an employee shared a post on Workplace, Facebook's internal messaging board on Aug. 28 disputing the role of race in policing. He also defended good law enforcers who have been persecuted by "society's conformity to a lie." Soon enough, Facebook employees have been commenting on the post, which triggered debates over such a loaded topic. The author even deleted some comments, which he deemed "unproductive and overwhelming."
The Workplace discussion reached such a level that prompted Zuckerberg to intervene. The CEO said that the company's communications policy is designed "to allow people to discuss very different viewpoints." However, Zuckerberg said that he is concerned about some people who ignore how their words impact the Black community within the company.
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 10: Facebook co-founder, Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before a combined Senate Judiciary and Commerce committee hearing in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill April 10, 2018 in Washington, DC. Zuckerberg, 33, was called to testify after it was reported that 87 million Facebook users had their personal information harvested by Cambridge Analytica, a British political consulting firm linked to the Trump campaign.
The staff shared the post days after the incident in Kenosha, Wisconsin where police fired multiple shots at the back of 29-year-old Jacob Blake, which left him paralyzed. He said, "My heart goes out to the Blake family." According to The Daily Beast, the employee reportedly continued to argue that the criminal justice system does not result in racial biases while police shootings are not due to racism as victims of these incidents either disobeyed officers' orders or they are under the influence of drugs.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Scolded Employees for Discussing “Highly Charged” Topics in Company Forum
The publication also alleged that Facebook would start filtering controversial topics on the Workplace by creating subchannels for them.
Zuckerberg said that employees can no longer "discuss highly charged content" in open groups and forums, although the company values their open discussion and opinion. "I don't believe people working here should have to be confronted with divisive conversations while they're trying to work," he added.
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Facebook slammed for ignoring the warning about Kenosha militia groups
While Zuckerberg promoted his social media platform as a place for free speech, Facebook has faced increasing pressures from within the company and outside to strengthen its monitoring on the platform against hate speech and calls for violence.
Facebook has long banned explicit content calls for violence, but a new policy targeted militia groups that "celebrated violent acts, shown that they have weapons and suggest they will use them." The recent update also covers groups that have followers with violent behavior patterns.
An incendiary device goes off in front of a Kenosha Country Sheriff Vehicle as demonstrators take part in a protest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, U.S. August 25, 2020.
However, the company faces much pressured amid the Kenosha shootings as Facebook reportedly ignored multiple warnings from users that a Kenosha militia group created an event where users planned to bring weapons in protest and challenge the demonstrators.
While Zuckerberg told employees that it was "an operational mistake," employees slammed the CEO's comment. One employee even questioned when the company would "take responsibility for enabling hate-filled bile to spread across our services."
Meanwhile, Business Insider reported that a Facebook spokesperson said that the warnings came a bit late before Facebook's moderators who handle militia-related content could handle it. However, BuzzFeed News reported that the company had been repeatedly warned 455 times while it only removed the contents after the shootings.
Written by CJ Robles
