For Immediate Release: Wednesday, August 5, 2020

Contact: Laura Brewer (919) 716-6484

(RALEIGH) Attorney General Josh Stein today called on Facebook to take additional steps to prevent its platform from being used to spread hate and disinformation and support users who become victims of online intimidation and harassment.

“Keeping North Carolinians safe includes keeping them safe online,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “The discrimination and hate that people experience online can have real and dangerous consequences for their safety and mental health. Facebook has repeatedly failed to protect users on its platform, and it must do more to stop people from becoming victims of harassment.”

In a letter today to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, Attorney General Stein and 19 attorneys general assert that Facebook has fallen short of its stated commitment to keeping users safe and in keeping hate content off its platforms. Recent surveys suggest more than 40 percent of Americans have experienced some form of online harassment, and of those victims, more than 75 percent have reported being harassed on Facebook. Much of the harassment reported by Facebook users focuses on characteristics protected by civil rights laws, including race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender and gender identity, and disability. Such harassment can include conduct like cyberstalking, doxing (maliciously publishing someone’s personal information), and swatting (filing false police reports to prompt law enforcement response targeting the victim).

The letter follows the July release of a civil rights audit of Facebook’s practices, commissioned by the company, that faults Facebook for failing to advance civil rights and refusing to enforce its own policies against dangerous organizations and individuals, including white supremacists and other extremists.

The attorneys general call for many reforms that were included in the audit and urge Facebook to:

• Aggressively enforce its policies against hate speech and organized hate organizations.
• Allow public, third-party audits of hate content and enforcement.
• Commit to an ongoing, independent analysis of Facebook’s content population scheme and the prompt development of best practices guidance.
• Expand policies limiting inflammatory advertisements that vilify minority groups.

The attorneys general also recommend steps to enhance supportive services, including calling on Facebook to:

• Offer live real-time assistance to victims of intimidation and harassment.
• Make information about unlawful harassment and intimidation more readily available.
• Strengthen filtering, reporting, and blocking tools.

Attorney General Stein is joined in sending today’s letter by the Attorneys General of California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont,  and Wisconsin.

A copy of the letter is available here.

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