Social media platforms cracking down to prevent violence at Joe Biden inauguration
- Facebook, Twitter and other tech platforms take action to prevent repeat of January 6 riots at US Capitol
- Joe Biden takes oath of office at noon Wednesday, surrounded by war-zone-like security
Over the four years of the Trump presidency, social media platforms generally took a soft line in enforcing their policies against threats and misinformation, allowing most borderline speech, including the US president’s, to stand.
Organised in Facebook groups and other online forums, the January 6 riot was a wake-up call – for Silicon Valley, government officials and the public – that even euphemistic or ambiguous comments made online can fuel real-world violence.
Now, tech companies are on high alert. In the days following the insurrection, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other major platforms have imposed stricter measures and deployed new rationales for taking action. Besides suspending or permanently banning President Donald Trump, they’ve also removed content undermining the integrity of the election results or calling for more attacks at the US and state capitols.
“The tech companies have realised this is not an abstract question: these are very real threats to American democracy,” said James Grimmelmann, a professor at Cornell University who focuses on internet law. “They’ve drawn their line,” he said. “I see it as a meaningful new position.”
