Facebook And Holocaust Denial (Update)

Back in September I wrote about the Jewish Internet Defense Force (JIDF) which combats Anti-Semitic groups on Facebook. Facebook had not responded to groups that apparently violated its Terms of Service (TOS) which says that users agree not to:

upload, post, transmit, share, store or otherwise make available any content that we deem to be harmful, threatening, unlawful, defamatory, infringing, abusive, inflammatory, harassing, vulgar, obscene, fraudulent, invasive of privacy or publicity rights, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable.

Now it seems there is another related violation of Facebook's TOS--one that again Facebook is doing nothing about.

Brian Cuban, on his blog The Cuban Revolution, writes about a number of groups on Facebook that deny the Holocaust. Now according to the Facebook TOS, users on Facebook agree not to:

upload, post, transmit, share, store or otherwise make available content that would constitute, encourage or provide instructions for a criminal offense, violate the rights of any party, or that would otherwise create liability or violate any local, state, national or international law.

Cuban notes that:

The advocation of Holocaust Denial is a crime in the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Israel, Slovakia and Switzerland. Of those countries, Facebook has an active presence by way of a localized platform in Germany.

...Holocaust Denial is a crime in Germany as well as many other countries. Facebook has an independent presence in Germany. Facebook TOS would seem to prohibit content that violates the laws of the countries Facebook has a presence in. It can therefore be argued that Facebook content that promotes Holocaust Denial is a violation of Facebook TOS and should be removed.

Read the entire post.

While Cuban seems to emphasize that the TOS forbids providing "instructions for a criminal offense," the fact the TOS also forbids material "that would otherwise create liability or violate any local, state, national or international law" might be even more apropos.

In any case, Mark Cuban wrote to Facebook about this--and has not received any response. The JIDF has taken action against anti-Israel groups by hacking into Facebook and forceably removing those groups. 

Unless Facebook wants to see JIDF take similar action against these Holocaust deniers, with more new getting out about what the JIDF is doing and why, it would seem to be very much in Facebook's interest to start enforcing its own TOS.

But don't bet on it.

As Cuban quotes:

All that’s necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good men to do nothing.

UPDATED: For those of you who do not read comments, rest assured that the JIDF is on the case.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

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