Some Holocaust denial groups disappear from Facebook

Following a concerted campaign by Dallas attorney, Brian Cuban, brother of entrepreneur Mark Cuban, Facebook appears to have begun to take down some of the Holocaust denial groups about which Brian Cuban complained.

Brian Cuban pointed to five specific groups.

As of 8:30 a.m. PDT Monday, "Holocaust: A Series of Lies", "Holohoax," and "Holocaust is a Myth" were still live.

The Holocaust Memorial in Stuttgart

(Credit: CC MobileStreetLife/Flickr)

However, "Based on the facts...there was no Holocaust" and "Holocaust is a Holohoax" appear to have been taken down.

TechCrunch on Monday also weighed in on the issue, with a headline echoing last week's Q&A with Facebook spokesperson, Barry Schnitt here at Technically Incorrect.

In the Q&A, Schnitt drew a distinction between Holocaust denial and another recent Facebook controversy, images of breastfeeding. Michael Arrington's headline puts it in stark terms: "Jew Haters are Welcome at Facebook as Long as they Aren't Lactating."

I am waiting for confirmation from Facebook and, perhaps, a statement as to whether the site has, indeed, reconsidered its position of last week, which was that it was better to have these groups out in the open, even if their ideas were "controversial," rather than removing them from Facebook.

Cuban has called for Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg to personally comment on the situation, but it remains to be seen if that will happen.

[MyRightEye]

This is nonsense. OK, I think Holocaust deniers are pathetic, and wrong, but they have as much damn right to freedom of speech as the rest of us thinking people. This is just wrong on every level.<br /><br />What next, shutting down all dissent over global warming??

[ibeetle]

Facebook is a private business. They can do anything they like. They can run their business anyway they want to. If they do not want this kind of information on their site there is nothing that says they do not have the authority to take it down. <br />However, one reason that may have influenced Facebook's decision is a lot of this type of ideology also contains hate speech. Some of it enforced physical harm towards the Jewish people. Thats not is not exercising free speech. That is terrorism.

[umbrae]

I don't know. The ability to hate who ever you want seems like free speech also. Terrorism is:<br /><br />the calculated use of violence (or the threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious<br /><br />However, I hope Facebook keeps doing this so it eventually dies. Social Networking is just a "threat of violence" against our privacy. The sooner people realize this is not about providing them a service as much as monetizing their private data and activities the better world this will be.

[celticbrewer]

Why would people who don't believe in the holocaust "enforce physical harm towards the Jewish people"? If they wanted harm done to Jews, wouldn't they believe in and be proud of the holocaust instead of pretending it didn't happen? <br /> <br />In response to the "Facebook is a private business" excuse: What would happen if facebook one day said "we will only accept white members on our website." I bet that would get the lawyers marching.

[ghostfear]

Totally Nonsense. Free Speech means everyone gets to speak, not matter how wrong you might think it is. Or Facebook can be the best site in North Korea.

[therealbean]

@ghostfear Free speech does not apply to private companies. It is a constraint imposed on the government (and even then, within limits). But companies are perfectly entitled to limit the speech of their employees and of customers who use their resources.

[bledsoe812]

Please go back and read up on the issue. The answer to your question had been explained in an earlier article.<br /><br />See http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10233245-71.html<br /><br />"Although Holocaust denial is not illegal in the US, it is a crime in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Israel, Slovakia, and Switzerland.<br /><br />To Cuban, any Holocaust denial group is clearly committing an illegal act in those countries. He has therefore written to Facebook asking the company why it permits the five Holocaust denial groups he has found on the site."

[carrie_ceb]

Facebook is a wonderful way to interact with friends all over the world. As it is free to the users I think the "owners" of Facebook can do anything they like, if people don't agree with them, do not use Facebook.

[inachu1]

So far only places they deny it ever took place is where the holocaust meuseum exists. <br /> <br />Ever notice that the meuseums are only in rich nations and not medium wealthy or poor nations? <br /> <br />We never hear of any holocaust meuseum in lets say Alaska or Africa in the hardest hit towns that are currently suffering from lack of food or what have you. As if black people in africa do not have enough suffering? <br /> <br />This is plainly to pull on bleeding hearts to give more and more money. pure and simple. <br />I would agree with all jews that we can make it a WORLD crime to deny the holocaust never happend but I would like to add to it and also make sure jews do not make fun of the 30 million chritians that died in russia at the hands of russian jews. <br /> <br />What is good for the goose is good for the gander! <br />AMEN!

[ghostfear]

This Jews are the victim thing is getting way too far. They are so victimized that they own banks, movie studios, and the best houses money can buy, but, of course, they are the real victims here. Not those blacks live with government aids or dying from aids. That is no crime rather something happened 70 years ago. Time should heal wounds. What is past is past. Get so emotional about something so old is for no reason than self gain. drop this victim thing already. Move on and focus on the real victims of our age.

[Rolker]

ghostfear<br /><br />This is why people shouldn't forget the Holocaust. Just take a look at your comment : "They (the Jews) are so victimized that they own banks, movie studios, and the best houses money can buy".<br />This are exactly the same words that the Nazis used to characterize the Jews: that they control the world. <br />Let me remind you that in the Holocaust not just Jews were murdered, but also Russian, Pols, Gypsies, Homosexuals, etc. etc.<br />The problem with people that deny the holocaust is that people actually believe that the Jews invented this. Forgetting is the same as allowing this thing to happen again. And don't be naive to think that it can't happen again.<br />I hope you change your views regarding the Jews controlling the world. And yes, they were victims 70 years ago.<br />Good that Facebook acted as they did.

[Michichael]

Yeah...

[mfirst1]

Those who advocate or deny crimes again humanity or genocide should not be protected by "free speech". Clearly I support free speech, but it is not a limitless right (nor should it be) - there are certain topics that are so inappropriate. A line must be drawn.

[Dalkorian]

Why legislate against denial and/or ignorance? Wouldn't education be a better answer? How do you educate those who are hiding in closets, spreading hate through family and friends?<br /><br />Forget the lines, allow the hateful to show themselves in the light. If for no other reason than to keep track of their activities, which you have to admit is harder when you push them into the dark underground through legislation.

[sodapop2k9]

So much for free speech. ...Sure those guys are nuts. But what happens when other topics start disappearing.

[Larry Fafarman]

This is the beginning of the end for Facebook. Facebook executives are fascist sleazebags who should be put on trial for high treason for siding with the enemies of the US Constitution. <br /> <br />Lots of controversial subjects provide opportunities for hate speech -- why single out holocaust denial? Controlling all the hate speech on Facebook sites would be an impossible task. And all this talk about hate speech on holocaust-denial sites is just guilt-by-association. <br /> <br />My own view is that a "systematic" Jewish holocaust was impossible because the Nazis had no objective and reliable ways of identifying Jews and non-Jews. What is hateful about that statement? <br /> <br />The comparison to breastfeeding is inapposite. The standard for the breastfeeding sites is the "redeeming social value" standard for pornography. However, anything goes in pornography on the Internet, except kiddie porn using live kids as subjects -- for example, there is a website with dozens of pictures of girls using strap-on dildos to sodomize guys. So there is no point in trying to restrict pornography on the Internet, either.

[Dalkorian]

See folks? Now do you get it? Do you want people like Larry here hiding underground, spreading this nonsense to your children, friends and family unchecked? Wouldn't you rather keep him out in the open, minimizing the damage he can do?

[kmarei]

i still see a lot of F#$K Islam Groups <br />or is it just groups that deny the holocaust that are taken down <br />there is no free speech <br />try going to europe and saying "the holocaust never happaned" <br />you get sent straight to jail <br />you can say world war II never happened <br />Vietnam never happaned <br />jesus/moses/mohamed never existed <br />what's so special about the holocaust that makes it such a big thing to talk about?

[Larry Fafarman]

QUESTION -- How many people are going to spend the time to set up and contribute to a Facebook site on a controversial subject if there is a real risk that Facebook will arbitrarily delete the site in the future?

[Dalkorian]

ANSWER -- who cares?

[unknown unknown]

Facebook is a joke so I don't know why this guy is wasting his time, unless he has nothing better to do. Are Mark Cuban's companies not doing so hot these days? You drive them off Facebook etc and they just pop up some where else.

[badfish303]

This is just another push of the capitalist agenda. Yes Holocaust Denial is wrong but that is not the reason that facebook is pushing this.<br />I wrote a blog article about it at freespace7.blogspot.com. It talks about how they leave all the other racist groups but only delete these ones because they lose some cash?.