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Kenosha militia group, not Facebook, took down its event page

Scott Rosenberg

An armed civilian stands in the streets of Kenosha during the third day of protests over a police shooting. Photo: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

After users flagged a Facebook event page for a militia counterprotest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the page, filled with comments promoting violence, vanished from the social network. Facebook told the world it had taken down both the event page and the group that sponsored it.

Yes, but: As BuzzFeed News reports, the group itself had deleted the event page before Facebook shut the group down. That contradicts what CEO Mark Zuckerberg told a company meeting soon after the controversy, as the company now concedes.

The big picture: What matters most here is that Facebook left the event page up even after hundreds of users reported it. Before the company took any action, two protesters who had been marching over the police shooting of Jacob Blake lay dead.

  • A 17-year-old armed with a rifle is charged with their murder.
  • Facebook says the accused, Kyle Rittenhouse, did not belong to the militia group or RSVP for the event.

The bottom line: By botching this announcement and taking credit for doing more than it had, Facebook has once more hurt its credibility.

Go deeper

Margaret Harding McGill, Ashley Gold
Dec 10, 2020 - Technology

Surprises in the Facebook antitrust lawsuits

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Facebook has been under federal scrutiny for more than a year, and Wednesday's new lawsuits brought by the Federal Trade Commission and a coalition of state attorneys general showed enforcers want to go a lot further than many observers thought.

Here's what we know now that the suits have landed.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Sara Fischer, author of Media Trends
Dec 10, 2020 - Technology

Antitrust suits could be biggest threat yet to Facebook's business

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

The historic lawsuits brought against Facebook Wednesday could be the first serious threat to the tech giant's booming business.

Why it matters: Facebook's user growth and bottom line have historically been resilient in the face of external pressure. But the lawsuits, if they succeed, would fundamentally limit Facebook's ability to keep growing so fast.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Margaret Harding McGill
Dec 9, 2020 - Technology

State antitrust lawsuit will target Facebook's freeze-out of competitors

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Facebook's past moves cutting off competitors' access to its platform will be one target of the multi-state antitrust lawsuit against Facebook expected to be filed today, according to a person familiar with the case.

Why it matters: State attorneys general are looking to build a case that Facebook has illegally used a monopoly in social networking to elbow out competitors.

Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow