Facebook groups promoting anti-quarantine protests in violation of state stay-at-home orders are popping up faster than Facebook can remove them
against shelter-in-place orders in dozens of states, some inviting people to attend events that violate social-distancing guidelines. These directives have put Facebook in the tricky position of establishing the fine line between what can stay and what gets taken down — and it's led to groups that break Facebook's own rules falling through the cracks.
Facebook's enforcement of policies regarding anti-quarantine content has been unclear. Facebook initially said it removed information about protests in California, New Jersey, and Nebraska "on the instruction of governments in those three states,". Facebook later issued a statement to clarify that it had reached out to state officials "to understand the scope of their orders, not about removing specific protests on Facebook.
Regarding its policies on these anti-quarantine groups and events, a Facebook spokesperson told Business Insider: "Unless government prohibits the event during this time, we allow it to be organized on Facebook. For this same reason, events that defy government's guidance on social distancing aren't allowed on Facebook."
Facebook said it was focusing on groups and events that advocate in-person gatherings that defy social distancing orders. A number of these groups skirted such guidelines by promoting "gridlock" events — where participants stay in their cars to crowd the streets — and by mentioning in their event descriptions that protesters have to stay six feet apart.
Nonetheless, content advocating for social distance-violating protests remains on the platform. Business Insider discovered planned rallies —
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