Source: Bloomberg / Getty

A group of racial justice organizations wants Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to resign immediately after the explosive release of leaked internal documents. Kairos, 18 Million Rising, Media Justice, Action Center on Race and the Economy, MPower Change and U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights released a statement outlining how Facebook has misled the public and officials on the platform’s steps to address hate speech and disinformation on its site. 

Facebook has suggested over and over again that it takes down nearly 96% of hate speech, but, in reality, newly released documents suggest Facebook was removing only 5% or less of hate speech. Facebook’s persistent actions to undermine content moderation are the latest evidence that Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook leadership will continue to sacrifice the safety of our communities to line their pockets. 

Judicial Inquiry Begins in Eric Garner Case, 7 Years After His Death

 No number of P.R. stunts thinly veiled as solidarity in support of Black lives can sweep Facebook’s neglect of its users and the violence it is perpetuating under the rug. For too long, Facebook has operated with unprecedented immunity from meaningful oversight and, as a result, has continued to prime the spigot of hate content from extremist groups on Black and other marginalized communities, both domestically and abroad. Rather than serving as a true public forum, Facebook has helped to suppress the voices of human rights advocates in nations such as India, Palestine, Myanmar while building inroads for threats of violence and political misinformation to fester. 

Source: Racial Justice Groups Demand Mark Zuckerberg’s Resignation After Facebook Papers Leak