Facebook Prepares for Verdict in Derek Chauvin Murder Trial

Like many other individuals and organizations in the U.S., Facebook is bracing for the impending verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former officer in the Minneapolis Police Department accused of murdering George Floyd during an arrest last May. Vice president of content policy Monika Bickert said in a Newsroom post Monday that the company’s teams are “working around the clock to look for potential threats both on and off of Facebook and Instagram so that we can protect peaceful protests and limit content that could lead to civil unrest or violence.” One area of focus is identifying and removing calls to bring arms to areas in Minneapolis, which Facebook temporarily designated as a high-risk location, and the social network will continue to monitor events in order to decide if other areas should be designated as temporary high-risk locations, as well. Facebook will also continue to remove content that praises, celebrates or mocks Floyd’s death in an effort to protect his memory and prevent abuse or harassment of his family. Bickert wrote, “We know this trial has been painful for many people. We want to strike the right balance between allowing people to speak about the trial and what the verdict means, while still doing our part to protect everyone’s safety. We will allow people to discuss, critique and criticize the trial and the attorneys involved.” Content that violates Facebook’s community standards will continue to be removed, including its policies on bullying and harassment; graphic violence; hate speech; and violence and incitement. Events, groups, Instagram accounts and pages that violate Facebook’s policies on violence and incitement will be removed, as will events organized in temporary high-risk locations containing calls to bring arms. Bickert provided more detail on how Chauvin and Floyd are being handled on its platform, writing, “Our policies against bullying and harassment distinguish between public figures and private individuals. This is because we want to allow discussion, which often includes critical commentary of people who are featured in the news or who have a large public audience. We consider Derek Chauvin a public figure, for voluntarily placing himself in the public eye, which means we will remove attacks that are severe, in line with our policies. For involuntary public figures and private individuals, our protections go further. We consider George Floyd an involuntary public figure, which is why we apply a higher level of protection to content about his death.” The company is taking extra steps to curb misinformation, including use of its tools to flag potential misinformation to its network of third-party fact-checkers, as well as marking content that is graphic or may be difficult for some people to see as disturbing or sensitive. Finally, in the event of violence once the verdict is announced, Facebook will remain in close contact with local, state and federal law enforcement and respond to valid legal requests or support any investigations that are in line with its policies. Bickert concluded, “We know this trial has been difficult for many people. But we also realize that being able to discuss what is happening and what it means with friends and loved ones is important. As the trial comes to a close, we will continue doing our part to help people safely connect and share what they are experiencing.”

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Facebook Prepares for Verdict in Derek Chauvin Murder Trial

The social network is identifying and removing calls to bring arms to Minneapolis, among other precautions

David Cohen

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David Cohen