Facebook challenged over George Floyd hate post and Board of Deputies bomb threat

SNP MP John Nicholson yesterday challenged Monica Bickert, Head of Product Policy and Counterterrorism at Facebook, on the social media channel’s refusal to remove a post making light of the death of George Floyd.

Mr Nicholson, who was questioning Ms Bickert as part of an investigation by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Sub-committee on Online Harms and Disinformation, also asked Ms Bickert about why a post threatening  to “bomb the Board of Deputies of British Jews” was not removed.  A complaint about the post was answered with the reply that the threat “does not go against any of our community standards”.

Ms Bickert conceded under questioning that both of these posts should have been removed immediately.

Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl said: “We are very grateful to John  Nicholson for questioning Monica Bickert so forensically about these two distressing posts which were allowed to stay in place, even following complaints by Facebook users. If, as she says, they should have been removed immediately then Facebook must address the matter of why this this kind of hate material is not routinely deleted whenever it is discovered. We would also like to thank Mr Nicholson, who took time out to discuss these matters with our team earlier this week.”

You can watch the exchange here.

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnKkmObGYps&feature=youtu.be

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