Facebook bans several ‘dangerous’ users from its site

Facebook has banned some controversial users from its social network. These include conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. The users allegedly violated Facebook’s Dangerous Persons Policy.

In addition to Alex Jones and Louis Farrakhan, the right-wing extremist Milo Yiannopoulos, the alt-right activist Laura Loomer, conspiracy theorist Paul Joseph Watson and white supremacist Paul Nehlen have been banned from the social network. Infowars, the organization of controversial conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, is no longer welcome on Facebook.

The company refers to its guidelines for Dangerous Persons and Organizations before taking action. It states that the site does not allow the presence of ‘Hate organizations and their leaders and prominent members’. In a response to US media, Facebook reports: “We have always banned individuals and organizations that fueled violence and hatred, regardless of ideology.”

The individuals will no longer be able to use both Facebook and Instagram and also Pages, groups and accounts, events that the individuals represent may no longer be present on the platforms.

It is a new action in a series with which Facebook is trying to improve trust in its social network. That trust plummeted after a host of scandals involving privacy, security and fake news. In recent days, Facebook promised to focus more on privacy and to take measures to avoid influencing the European elections.