Facebook bans 'violent' US-based Boogaloo network from its platform

Facebook on June 30 designated a violent US-based anti-government network as dangerous and banned it from its platform. The company said that the network uses the term boogaloo but is distinct from the broader and loosely-affiliated boogaloo movement because it actively seeks to commit violence. The boogaloo movement is a loosely organised far-right American extremist movement that seeks to incite a second civil war in the country. 

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"For months, we have removed boogaloo content when there is a clear connection to violence or a credible threat to public safety, and today’s designation will mean we remove more content going forward, including Facebook Groups and Pages. This is the latest step in our commitment to ban people who proclaim a violent mission from using our platform," Facebook said in a statement it issued on its website on Tuesday. 

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The social media giant said that it removed 220 accounts from Facebook linked to the violent network and 95 accounts from Instagram. Facebook also removed 28 pages and 106 groups linked to the boogaloo network. The company also removed over 400 additional groups and over 100 other Pages for violating its 'Dangerous Individuals and Organizations' policy as they hosted similar content as the violent network it disrupted but were maintained by accounts outside of it. 

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"So long as violent movements operate in the physical world, they will seek to exploit digital platforms. We are stepping up our efforts against this network and know there is still more to do. We will continue to study new trends, including the language and symbols this network shares online so we can take the necessary steps to keep those who proclaim a violent mission off our platform," Facebook said in the statement. 

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Facebook boycott

The latest action came amid growing criticism against Facebook for failing to stop hateful content from being published on their platform. Several advertisers have recently paused paid advertisements on the company's platform to register their protest under the campaign #StopHateforProfit boycott. As a result, the company reportedly lost $7 billion in advertisement revenue.