UPDATE:
After thousands of UltraViolet members took action, Facebook's leadership reached out to meet with us. We met with them on November 13, and they admitted that racism and misogyny are huge problems on the platform. But instead of committing to real solutions, they just gave more excuses for Facebook's failures.
Let's keep holding Facebook's feet to the fire. In addition to calling on Facebook to ban all hate groups, pages, and events that promote disinformation and violence, we're demanding that Facebook take immediate steps to protect women of color.
We demand that Facebook commit to permanently turning off group recommendations--a feature that suggests to users which Facebook groups to join-- and immediately take steps to protect election workers. We've seen disinformation and threats of violence grow against ballot counters, many of whom are Black women. Especially with the Georgia runoff elections coming up, it's critical that Facebook take specific, urgent steps to ensure that election workers can do their jobs safely.
Tell Sheryl Sandberg and Facebook: Immediately commit to protecting election workers and permanently stop group recommendations.
Original petition:
Sheryl Sandberg tells women to "lean in."
But what happens on Facebook to women leaders that dare to speak out?
Right-wing extremists use Facebook to spread disinformation and harass women leaders. Representatives Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other women of color leaders have been reporting death threats and abuse on Facebook for years.1 The assaults are escalating--from the attacks in Kenosha, Wisconsin,2 to the recent plot against Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer,3 Facebook is powering violence that harms women, especially women of color.
Now, the election of our lifetime is underway, and Facebook is undermining our democracy. Conspiracy theories and disinformation are circulating on the platform, causing chaos and confusion about the election.4
Thousands of UltraViolet members campaigned to get Sandberg on the board of Facebook in 2012. Today, we're calling on Sandberg to lean in and take action to protect democracy and women's safety. Will you join us?
Tell Sheryl Sandberg: Shut down all Facebook hate groups, pages, and events that spread disinformation and call for violence and commit to protecting election workers in Georgia.
Facebook doesn't just tolerate misogyny and white supremacy, it actually recommends it. An internal report revealed that 64% of the time when people join extremist groups, it's because Facebook recommended it to them.5 Facebook executives know this and still choose to harbor and promote hate on their platform.
The company recently admitted that Facebook algorithms favor rightwing extremists--the platform is designed to promote inflammatory content, like racist conspiracy theories and deadly disinformation.6
Under public pressure from people like us, the company rolled out selective, soft policies to clean up its image.7 We aren't falling for it--we need Facebook to take urgent, sweeping action to shut down all hate groups and violent event pages.
Tell Sheryl Sandberg: Shut down all Facebook hate groups, pages, and events that spread disinformation and call for violence and commit to protecting election workers in Georgia.
Sources:
1. Public Figures, Public Rage: Candidate abuse on social media, Institute for Strategic Dialogue, October 5, 2020
2. When Armed Vigilantes Are Summoned With a Few Keystrokes, The New York Times, October 16, 2020
3. Militia used Facebook to plan kidnapping of Michigan governor, FBI claims, Mashable, October 8, 2020
4. A Political Ad Ban Won't Fix Facebook’s Election Problem, Wired, October 9, 2020
5. Facebook reportedly ignored its own research showing algorithms divided users, The Verge, May 26, 2020
6. Why the right wing has a massive advantage on Facebook, Politico, September 26, 2020
7. A Political Ad Ban Won't Fix Facebook’s Election Problem, Wired, October 9, 2020