Chicks on the Right founders “Mockarena” and “Daisy” had a rude awakening this week when they attempted to log into their Facebook accounts and were blocked. The reason? Facebook suspended their account when Facebook’s User Operation’s Team’s ruled a post critical of White House’s Jay Carney violated company standards.
Clearly, Facebook should be able to operate it’s website as it wishes. However, the action raises concerns that the company may not be a safe place for conservatives if Facebook’s company standards mean not criticizing the Left.
Todd Starnes, the host of Fox News and Commentary, got wind of the group’s suspension and reported the story:
“I think people are starting to realize Facebook is not necessarily a safe place for conservatives,” Mockarena told Fox News.
She said she tried to log onto her Facebook page Tuesday morning and learned that access not both her personal account and “Chicks on the Right” account had been temporarily blocked.”
“We removed the following content you posted or were the admin of because it violates Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities,” read a screen-grab she posted.
Facebook did not immediately return email seeking comment.
In fact, Starnes reports, several offensive, anti-conservative sites remain on Facebook:
A quick check of Facebook revealed a number of vulgar pages directed at conservatives including:
“Ann Romney’s Amputated Breast”
“F*** Conservatives”
“F*** Mitt Romney”
“Tea Party Can Kiss My A**”
“Rush Limbaugh is an Abject A******”
So why haven’t those sites been taken down?
When the group’s story made national news, Facebook retreated. The company’s spokesman issued an apology:
“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience,” Facebook spokesman Fred Wolens told Fox News. “Unfortunately, the users were incorrectly warned by our User Operation’s Team and we have already removed all associated blocks from the accounts… This team looks at hundreds of thousands of reports every week, and as you might expect, occasionally, we make a mistake and block a piece of content we shouldn’t have,” he said.
Was it an innocent mistake, or does Facebook target conservatives? According to Starnes, Chicks on the Right is not the only conservative organization to be removed.