Facebook bans the phrase 'stop the steal' in response to US Capitol riots

Facebook on Monday announced that it's banning the phrase "Stop the Steal" from being used in content on its social media platforms, including Instagram. According to a blog post by the VP of Integrity, Guy Rose, and the VP Global Policy Management, Monika Bickert, the move continues Facebook's string of policy changes that have been implemented since violence broke out at the U.S. Capitol last week.

We've been allowing robust conversations related to the election outcome and that will continue. But with continued attempts to organize events against the outcome of the US presidential election that can lead to violence, and the use of the term by those involved in Wednesday's violence in DC, we're taking this additional step in the lead up to the inauguration.

The company highlights its efforts to mitigate election misinformation, noting that it's keeping its Integrity Operations Center open through the inauguration to continue to monitor and respond to threats in real-time. Facebook News team is working to curate accurate and reliable news pieces to reflect the results of the election, which was officially certified on January 7th.

We are also connecting people with reliable information and high-quality news about the inauguration and the transition process....During inauguration week, we will add a news digest to Facebook News as a curated place for people to find reliable news about the inauguration.

It also notes that in addition to removing the Stop the Steal group and any similar groups, Facebook is pausing any and all election or politics-related ads from appearing on its platform.

The decision by social media sites to ban Donald Trump has been met by many with concerns over censorship, with some thinking social media platforms are overstepping, while others think that these sites have not done enough. The divisive move is just another reason users have begun to flee the platform, which includes one of the best messaging apps on Android, due to its policies. Facebook maintains that it is only focused on keeping its members safe and informed.