Facebook blocks creation of new events near the White House or Capitol until after Inauguration Day and says it is ‘monitoring signals of violence and threats in DC and across all 50 states’
- The decision, which also impacts events at state capitols, was announced Friday
- Facebook said it would also review all inauguration-related events already made
- Any events that violate Facebook polices would be taken down from the site
- The announcement came in the wake of the Department of Homeland Security saying domestic extremists would be the major inauguration threat
Facebook has declared that it won’t allow people to create new events near key Washington, DC, locations and state capitols until after Inauguration Day.
The social media giant made the announcement Friday, revealing that it will be blocking people from creating new events near the White House, Capitol Building or any state capitol buildings in the US until after January 20, when President-Elect Biden is sworn in.
Facebook said it will also be reviewing all inauguration-related events that’ve already been created.
Facebook said Friday that it would be banning any events from being created near the Capitol or White House during Biden’s inauguration. Rioters are seen outside the Capitol on January 6
The Facebook ban also includes events created around all 50 state capitol buildings. National Guard members are seen in Washington on Saturday in preparation for the inauguration
The company will be removing any events that violate site policies, too, as well as blocking events that have been set up to be held in the US, but were created by accounts or pages that are based in other countries.
‘We’re monitoring for signals of violence or other threats both in Washington, D.C. and across all 50 states,’ Facebook said in a statement obtained by CBS News.
Facebook said that it was actively monitoring for signals of threats in Washington and across the country
Facebook noted that as was the case ‘in the weeks after the presidential election, we are promoting accurate information about the election and the violence at the Capitol instead of content that our systems predict may be less accurate, delegitimizes the election or portrays the rioters as victims.’
In addition to banning the creation of these inauguration-based events at specific locations, Facebook said that it’s still pressing pause on political advertisements, as well as restricting some of its features for US-based users who ‘who repeatedly violate policies.’
The people found to be violating policies will be prevented from creating create live videos, events, groups or pages.
Facebook and other social media platforms have faced criticism after posts and videos drew and emboldened rioters during the January 6 Capitol Building seizure.
Facebook and other social media companies have been criticized for being platforms used by rioters. Protesters are seen storming the Capitol Building on January 6
The US Army is sending up to 25,000 National Guards members to Washington to help keep the Capitol safe during the inauguration. A guardsman is seen outside the Capitol Saturday
Facebook’s decision to halt the ability to create events at the Washington locations and state capitols, while also monitoring inauguration posts came shortly after the Department of Homeland Security said that domestic extremists would be the major threat at Biden’s inauguration.
Homeland’s intelligence briefing warned that there could be violence directed towards federal buildings, law enforcement officers and public officials during the inauguration period.
The agency also noted that some extremists don’t believe that Biden is a legitimate president.
Earlier in the week, Airbnb said that it was canceling all reservation in the Washington, DC, area and that it would not allow new reservations to be made during the lead up to the inauguration.
Airbnb said Wednesday that it was taking these steps because it was aware that armed militias and hate groups have plans to travel to Washington to disrupt the inauguration, while also stating that government officials and law enforcement have urged people not to visit Washington during at this time.
The US Army said Friday that as many as 25,000 National Guard members were being sent to Washington to help protect the Capitol and provide backup for law enforcement. Many of the National Guards members would be armed.
TNational Guard troops have been seen patrolling around the Capitol building fences, while also stopping drivers at road blocks.