Facebook Bans White Nationalism and Separatism From Its Platform
Facebook officially reverses its longstanding policy by banning white nationalism and white separatism, acknowledging the terms are inseparable from white supremacy. The social network will redirect users searching for such content to a deradicalization group.
Facebook abandons its longstanding policy that allows white nationalism and white separatism on its platform. The company announces that it will ban these terms after concluding they cannot be meaningfully separated from white supremacy and organized hate groups. This policy change goes into effect next week and stems from consultations with civil society groups and academics who specialize in race relations.
Under the new rules, users who search for white supremacist content receive a redirect to Life After Hate, an organization that helps individuals leave violent far-right extremist groups. Facebook still permits users to express pride in their ethnic heritage, but it explicitly forbids any praise or support for white nationalism and separatism. This shift directly addresses criticism that the previous policy played into the hands of hate groups by letting them hide behind sanitized terminology.
This reversal marks a significant shift for the social network, which previously drew a formal distinction between white supremacy and white nationalism in its internal documents. Civil rights organizations like Color Of Change alert Facebook years ago to the growing dangers of white nationalists on the platform. The company finally acknowledges that white nationalism, white pride, and white separatism serve as guises for the same dangerous, race-motivated radicalism that inspires real-world violence.