Facebook bans weapons accessory ads
Facebook is changing some of its policies ahead of Inauguration Day
Facebook said this weekend that it will temporarily ban ads for weapons accessories, including gun safes and holsters in the U.S.
"We are banning ads that promote weapon accessories and protective equipment in the US at least through January 22, out of an abundance of caution," Facebook executives Guy Rosen and Monika Bickert said in a blog post. "We already prohibit ads for weapons, ammunition and weapon enhancements like silencers. But we will now also prohibit ads for accessories such as gun safes, vests and gun holsters in the US."
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Facebook is also changing some of its policies and maintaining its ban on political ads ahead of Inauguration Day, the social media company explained on Friday.
The Capitol is seen as security preparations continue leading up to President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
"We’re monitoring for signals of violence or other threats both in Washington, D.C. and across all 50 states. In the lead up to Inauguration Day, we have implemented a series of additional measures to continue preventing attempts to use our services for violence," Rosen and Bickert said.
"And, as we did in the weeks after the presidential election, we are promoting accurate information about the election and the violence at the Capitol instead of content that our systems predict may be less accurate, delegitimizes the election or portrays the rioters as victims."
Facebook also said last week that it will remove all content containing the phrase "Stop the steal" in order to cut down on "content that could incite further violence." Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg said that the pro-Trump events on Jan. 6 were "largely organized on platforms that don’t have our abilities to stop hate, don’t have our standards and don’t have our transparency," according to The Washington Post.
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Meanwhile, Facebook is urging employees to avoid wearing or carrying company-branded clothing and other items in public after the social media platform suspended President Trump's account, according to an internal memo.
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"In light of recent events, and to err on the side of caution, global security is encouraging everyone to avoid wearing or carrying Facebook-branded items at this time," reads the memo obtained by The Information.
FOX Business' Lucas Manfredi contributed to this report.