“Facebook and Instagram have begun removing posts related to abortion pills,” the U.K.-based news site Guardian reported on Tuesday, June 28, 2022 (story here).
However, it appears the company isn’t banning discussion of abortion pills, but only offers to help get them.
A Meta spokesman said the company “will not allow individuals to gift or sell pharmaceuticals on its platform, but will allow content that shares information on how to access pills,” although there were some instances of the latter posts being deleted.
Facebook, a Meta subsidiary company, appears to be enforcing its stated policies inconsistently. Facebook said the abortion pill offers violated its standards on “guns, animals and other regulated goods,” but when reporters tested the policies with posts offering to mail guns or marijuana, those posts were left up. Instagram is owned by Facebook and subject to the same standards.
Meta acknowledged some issues with enforcement. Like other platforms, it’s being deluged with abortion posts. There appears to be a tidal wave of civil disobedience brewing against states that seek to ban abortions.
The policy isn’t because of potential legal consequences against the company. A federal law insulates internet sites from liability for third-party content. But companies like Facebook have a motive to tread lightly, because Republicans want to change that law, and also force social media companies to post conservative content they claim is being censored.