Facebook tightens protections

Facebook announced on Wednesday that it would enhance protections for journalists and activists, as the platform now deems them “involuntary” public figures.

The social media platform is more lenient toward critical commentary of public figures compared to that of private people. But journalists and “human rights defenders” will be granted added protections, as Facebook says their public criticism is by virtue of their job and not a larger persona, according to initial reporting from Reuters.

The platform’s policies surrounding how public figures are treated include generally allowing users to call for the death of a public figure so long as they are not tagged in the post. Users are not permitted to call for the death of private users, a policy that will now extend to journalists, Reuters reported.

“It’s important that everyone on our apps feels safe to engage and connect with their communities,” Facebook Global Head of Safety Antigone Davis said in a blog post announcing the change to the platform’s bullying and harassment policies. We do not allow bullying and harassment on our platform, but when it does happen, we act.”