Facebook reportedly banned two highly popular conservative women from Facebook last week, arguing that their content is “unsafe to the community.”
Collectively known as Diamond and Silk, the two video creators from North Carolina sometimes profess their admiration for President Donald Trump, while also discussing daily happenings and other topics like media bias. Over the past few years, almost in accordance with Trump’s political ascension, they have gained considerable prominence for their support for the current president, garnering thousands of followers and subscribers on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube in the process.
After starting correspondence with Facebook over apparent censorship of their brand page starting on Sept. 7, 2017, the duo, Lynnette Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson, finally got answers, albeit in an arguably unsatisfactory way.
“The Policy team has came to the conclusion that your content and your brand has been determined unsafe to the community,” a recent message Facebook sent to Diamond and Silk allegedly reads. “This decision is final and it is not appeal-able in anyway.”
……. giving us the run around, Facebook gave us another bogus reason why Millions of people who have liked and/or followed our page no longer receives notification and why our page, post and video reach was reduced by a very large percentage. Here is the reply from……….
— Diamond and Silk® (@DiamondandSilk) April 7, 2018
…Facebook said: “This decision is final and it is not appeal-able in any way.” (Note: This is the exact wording that FB emailed to us.)
So our questions to Facebook (Mark Zuckerberg) are:
1. What is unsafe about two Blk-women supporting the @POTUS @realDonaldTrump?
2…..— Diamond and Silk® (@DiamondandSilk) April 7, 2018
Diamond and Silk are suspicious of the veracity of Facebook’s ambiguous reasoning not only because they believe their content is harmless, but also since they reportedly can still promote their content, which costs money.
…..If our content and brand was so unsafe to the community, why is the option for us to boost our content and spend money with FB to enhance our brand page still available? Maybe FB should give us a refund since FB censored our reach.
6…..— Diamond and Silk® (@DiamondandSilk) April 7, 2018
If they are still in fact able to advertise their videos, then it could conceivably help corroborate a growing sentiment that as a private business, Facebook cares about profitability over all else, even if it means making the larger Facebook community upset and frustrated. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is set to testify before Congress in two separate hearings Tuesday and Wednesday over deep-seated concerns that it doesn’t value users’ digital privacy. (RELATED: Report: Facebook And ‘Top-Secret’ Doctor Were Working With Hospitals To Collect Patient Information)
…..Lastly, didn’t FB violate their own policy when FB stopped sending notifications to the Millions of people who liked and followed our brand page?
This is deliberate bias censorship and discrimination. These tactics are unacceptable and we want answers!
~Diamond and Silk pic.twitter.com/wQqtub8Ges
— Diamond and Silk® (@DiamondandSilk) April 7, 2018
When The Daily Caller News Foundation reached out to Facebook to confirm Diamond and Silk’s claim, and inquire about what exactly was deemed “unsafe” about their content, a Facebook spokeswoman indirectly implied that the aforementioned account was suspended.
“We are aware of this issue,” the company representative said. “We are reaching out to the creators of Diamond & Silk to try and resolve this matter.”
The difference in tone and language between the statement purportedly given to Diamond and Silk and TheDCNF, respectively, shows either a discordance in judgement by Facebook’s content moderators, or a change in tune, potentially following public backlash.
Nevertheless, it appears to be yet another example of Facebook censorship, many of which seem to be targeted at those aligned or associated with one end of the political spectrum.
Aside from the accusations of censorship for non-political or non-ideological content, Facebook has been blamed for removing certain posts and images that presumably don’t comport with the beliefs of its more liberal leaders like Zuckerberg. (RELATED: Exclusive: Libertarian Org Ready To Sue Instagram For Allegedly Removing Its Account)
The Hungarian prime minister’s chief of staff said that the U.S.-based tech giant removed a video he helped create that alleged immigrants were the primary cause for a reported crime growth in the adjacent country of Austria.
A small town business that sells sporting goods, outdoor clothing, and in some instances, firearms, protested months ago when Facebook rescinded all of its advertising capabilities. The tech company told TheDCNF it took actions against the family owned and operated shop due to its marketing rules, which restrict promotions of items like American flags if that purveyor’s Facebook page includes links that eventually lead to the sales of guns.
Diamond and Silk did not respond to TheDCNF’s request for further insight into the situation in time of publication. The article will be updated if and when they do so.
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