Facebook’s Racism Problem Isn’t Going Away Anytime Soon

On the world’s largest social media platform, users routinely find adhering to Facebook’s seemingly trivial community standards burdensome. Far-right extremism, however, rarely seemed to violate those standards. Thanks to pressure from several civil rights groups, scholars, and civil society, that may be about to change.

Facebook users have long questioned why hate groups have been allowed to prosper using the company’s myriad platforms. The social media giant clearly has the ability — and the right — to control the type of content that doesn’t fit its business model. But for too long, hate groups have used the platform to organize, strategize, recruit, and grow — nearly unabated. As Facebook tries to tackle this problem many are left to wonder if their actions will result in meaningful change.

Writers and activists who focus on racism know what organized hate looks and feels like on Facebook. Let’s just say, it gets ugly, fast. While the site’s community standards explicitly state “organized hate” and content “that expresses support or praise for groups, leaders, or individuals involved in these activities,” is not allowed, Facebook rarely takes action on many of the hateful and threatening comments/posts reported.

According to Facebook “organized hate” is defined as: “Any association of three or…