Life News
The social media giant Facebook has repeatedly censored pro-life pages and advertisements from pro-life organizations. But during a congressional hearing yesterdayCEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted Planned Parenthood has never been censored.
Zuckerberg faced tough questions from pro-life Senator Ted Cruz. During questioning he said he was never aware of a single circumstance where the Planned Parenthood abortion business had its message censored on Facebook. Zuckerberg acknowledged that Cruz raised a “fair concern” but insisted that Facebook was committed to being a “platform for all ideas.”
“There are a great many Americans who I think are deeply concerned that Facebook and other tech companies are engaged in a pervasive pattern of bias and political censorship,” Cruz said.He read off examples of Facebook suppressing conservative speech and had Zuckerberg reply.
“Senator, let me say a few things about this,” Zuckerberg replied. “First, I understand where that concern is coming from because Facebook and the tech industry are located in the Silicon Valley which is an extremely left-leaning place and this is actually a concern that I have and that I try to root out in the company — is making sure that we don’t have any bias in the work that we do.”Cruz then asked if any pages from Planned Parenthood, pro-abortion Moveon.org, or pro-abortion Democratic candidates, had been taken down by Facebook.
Zuckerberg replied that he was “not specifically aware” of any of those pages being censored.
“I am very committed to making sure that Facebook is a platform for all ideas,” he insisted. “That is a very important founding principle of what we do. We’re proud of the discourse and the different ideas that people can share on the service. And that is something that, as long as I’m running the company, I’m going to be committed to making sure is the case.”
But the censorship of pro-life organizations has been pervasive.
The West Virginia-based ministry Warriors for Christ repeatedly has had its Facebook pages removed by the social media giant. Its main page, which has more than 225,000 followers, was removed again last week, allegedly for “hateful, threatening or obscene” content.
“Your Page ‘Warriors for Christ’ has been removed for violating our Terms of Use. A Facebook Page is a distinct presence used solely for business or promotional purposes. Among other things, Pages that are hateful, threatening or obscene are not allowed. We also take down Pages that attack an individual or group, or that are set up by an unauthorised individual. If your Page was removed for any of the above reasons, it will not be reinstated. Continued misuse of Facebook’s features could result in the permanent loss of your account.”In 2015, Facebook also refused to allow Live Action News to advertise one of its stories because “the image or video thumbnail may shock or evoke a negative response from viewers.” The image was of baby Eli Thompson who was born without a nose.
Earlier this year, two Hollywood actors who are working with pro-life leaders on a film detailing the true story behind Roe v. Wade said Facebook is blocking their project.
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