Facebook, in the face of an advertisers boycott and increasing pressure from employees over the publication of material that incites violence, has removed at least four videos directed at public health officials who have asked people to stay at home. and that they use facial covers to stop the spread of COVID- 19)
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has long resisted calls to regulate political content on the popular website, which has more than 221 million users in the U.S. and Coca-Cola in the past two days has forced Zuckerberg to back off.
Facebook shares fell seven percentage points on Friday.
“If we determine that content can lead to violence … we are going to remove that content no matter who said it,” Zuckerberg told CBS News.
The tantalizing videos Facebook removed Thursday were from a group called the Freedom Angels Foundation, which is known for its opposition to California’s efforts to order the vaccines. CNN, which reviewed the videos, said the posts make a number of false claims, including that children are being removed from their homes due to the coronavirus, facial masks make people pass out, and COVID-19 is not a virus. .
A video was posted during a protest outside the home of Chris Farnitano, Contra Costa County health commissioner.
Dozens of health officials across the county, including Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and Dr. Nicole Quick, the chief health officer for Orange County, have received death threats after issuing guidelines to treat the coronavirus. .
Ferrer said it was “discouraging that an increasing number of public health officials across the country are regularly threatened with violence. In my case, the death threats began last month, during a COVID-19 public meeting on Facebook Live, when Someone casually suggested that I be shot. “
Quick, citing the threats he received, is one of 10 state or county health officials who resigned over the threats. Several others have been assigned security details.
