Fuck Facebook
As a way of celebrating Independence Day, The Vindicator thought it would be appropriate to publish the Declaration of Independence on Facebook. To make the reading of it more manageable online, the outlet broke the famous founding document into twelve "bite-sized" segments and posted one a day over a period of 12 days, ending on July 4.
But after posting the tenth segment, The Vindicator received a notice from Facebook informing them that the post "goes against our standards on hate speech" and had been blocked.
After the outlet complained about the censorship, Facebook restored the post on the evening of July 3, explaining that its automated "Community Standards" checker had incorrectly flagged the post.
While Facebook's relatively prompt reversal was welcomed, the incident highlights how information is handled on the platform and what types of expression can be blocked.
Below is the passage of the Declaration of Independence (paragraphs 27-31) that contained language deemed to be "hate speech":
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us. He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.GO READ THE WHOLE THING.
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