Facebook Escalates Crackdown on Trump Election Fraud Conspiracies After Capitol Assault, Will Now Take Down All ‘Stop the Steal’ Content

Photo credit: Jon Cherry, Getty Images

Social media giant Facebook has begun purging all mention of the pro-Trump election fraud conspiracy from its site, in response to the disinformation campaign’s role in inciting the violent riot at the U.S. Capitol.

In a public statement on Monday, Facebook’s vice presidents for Integrity, Guy Rosen, and Global Policy Management, Monika Bickert announced that the company was escalating its content moderation policies against the false narrative, and will now purge any mention of it from any individual. The social media titan had previously removed the original “Stop the Steal” group that sprang up not long after Election Day, but the unprecedented attack on the Capitol has prompted the company to escalate its crackdown.

“With continued attempts to organize events against the outcome of the US presidential election that can lead to violence, and 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. It may take some time to scale up our enforcement of this new step but we have already removed a significant number of posts.

Facebook’s latest move comes after the social media site indefinitely suspended Trump’s account because of the president’s role in inciting the Capitol assault and nearly a month after a pro-Trump rally in Washington, D.C., branded as a “Stop the Steal” protest by the extremist hate group the Proud Boys, devolved into violence and four were hospitalized with stab wounds.