Jan Brewer: Facebook ‘Censored’ Post Critical of Obama Immigration Policy
Arizona governor Jan Brewer says she was "censored" by Facebook after a posting she made on the social network was removed by the site's staff. In her post, Brewer had criticized the Obama administration's recent decision to halt prosecutions of many illegal immigrants.
"Facebook censored the post and removed it because the photo apparently violated their 'Facebook Community Standards.' Before it was removed, it had received over 10,000 likes and comments," Brewer said in a subsequent post.
According to Brewer, the initial post was taken down because was because a comedic drawing of her face superimposed onto the famous "Rosie the Riveter" character from World War II was included in it. The picture has been used by Brewer for previous Facebook posts and exists in multiple locations on her official profile.
In a statement apologizing for the removal, Facebook did not state why the drawing triggered the censorship, however it is likely that this is yet another case of ever-so-tolerant liberals abusing web alert mechanisms to censor those with differing political opinions. This is a phenomenon, called "flag spam," is one that I've written about before that seems to happen far more commonly to content that is put out by conservatives or libertarians:
Because of the proliferation of fake blogs, spam comments and phony videos, many interactive sites have added mechanisms to prevent a group discussion from being hijacked by allowing regular readers to “flag” things they come across that are offensive, obviously spam or violate copyright laws.
After enough complaints about a particular piece of content are raised, the “flagged” video or comment is removed from circulation and placed into a review system in which a pre-selected group of people review it and decide whether the reports are correct.
If the complaints are judged incorrect, the content is restored to the Internet. If not, it is kept out of public view.
It makes sense for Web sites to do this: They have the right to ensure that their sites aren’t turned into free advertisements for unsavory companies, after all.
What is harder to support, however, is that many Web sites’ flagging systems are themselves becoming targets of abuse - by malicious individuals intent on consigning the free speech of others behind the moderation firewall.
Again and again, we’ve seen popular Web sites and videos taken down, often through completely spurious complaints.
My guess is that we'll never hear from Facebook whether or not it was flag spammers who took Brewer's post down nor will we hear about what kinds of steps Facebook will take to stop conservative posts from being taken down.
- Matthew Sheffield's blog
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Comments
I Can Think Of...
Submitted by GeneralAl on Sat, 08/20/2011 - 8:23pm.
I can think of another name for facebook beginning with an F but I don't use that kind of language!
"Old Soldiers never die, they just fade away"!
Well.........
Submitted by GregE on Sat, 08/20/2011 - 9:34pm.
.......I've received spam email from that other name.
Some former members of the Obama Regime
Submitted by djwolf12 on Sat, 08/20/2011 - 8:36pm.
work for Facebook. This is 1984 in 2011. Big Brother spies on us from within. Impeach this regime and put them all in prison for not upholding the constitution. Remember, these are the same people that cried foul for the Patriot Act, yet they are taking it to another level because they have the power to do so. Congress....Who needs Congress? Obama created a Super Congress to overrule Congress. Obama is signing executive orders overruling Congress and passing legislation that was voted down even in a democratic controlled Senate. This Regime must go in 2012.......but yet again if he gets trounced next year, he would somehow sign an executive order overruling the election.
More correctly ...
Submitted by NL207 on Sat, 08/20/2011 - 9:43pm.
Some Facebook employees work for Obama ...
I vorry about you comrade, if
Submitted by Dan The Man 2 on Sat, 08/20/2011 - 10:44pm.
I vorry about you comrade, if you continue these words you may not like the consequences.
Occam razor
Submitted by Tjexcite on Sat, 08/20/2011 - 8:52pm.
The simplest explanation is most likely the correct one
They may have got thousands of likes but they may also have got millions of flags from the left. There may be bots programs that are set to flag any post that they don't like. To think that the people of facebook scourer the millions and millions of posts to censor just Conservatives. Brewer has a lot of enemies and they have money to pay someone to do nothing but flag conservatives facebook posts.
Facebook may have that money too and also hate Conservative thought but they know that even the billion dollar enterprise of facebook could go the way of myspace if a conservative starts there own facebook like page and watch it grow over night, Why has Goggle started + if not to take out facebook. There would be C by the F T standard on every web page.
Don't forget
Submitted by Denny Crane on Sat, 08/20/2011 - 8:56pm.
The same thing happened to Palin about a year ago. Probably one of the most high profile instances of this sort.
We Are The 53%
Well played Facebook!
Submitted by big.league.slider on Sat, 08/20/2011 - 9:18pm.
A clever new twist on the classic "Weiner Defense".
Well played Facebook!
Welcome to Barack Hussein Obama's Amerika
Submitted by Dave. on Sat, 08/20/2011 - 9:24pm.
Within which, any and all criticism of the Dear Leader is decidedly verboten.
History has seen this before.
Many times.
It always starts subtly.
Public ridicule.
Intimidation.
Speech censorship.
Divestiture/boycotts (if they own a business).
Confiscation/closure of said business.
Arrest.
Prosecution.
Incarceration.
Execution.
The only thing that ever really changes are the names.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Leftist Repressives @Facebook
Submitted by HardRightTurn on Sat, 08/20/2011 - 9:38pm.
Freedom of speech for me, but not for thee. You can say anything you want to as long as it agrees with me. We're coming to take you away, haha, we're coming to take you away.
To more fully comprehend the Left, one must read “Leftism As Psychopathy” by John Ray, M.A., Ph.D. Caution, it might scare you a little bit.
http://jonjayray.tripod.com/psycho.html
Was Rosie the Riveter pose mistaken for a "forearm jerk"?
Submitted by rolling_o on Sat, 08/20/2011 - 9:42pm.
While the Rosie the Riveter (RtR) pose is an American icon, on the international stage, the image bears a resemblance to the “forearm jerk”, which in some countries, is the equivalent of giving someone the finger:
http://jeroenarendsen.nl/2007/02/van-bommel-gives-real-the-elbow/
Is it possible that someone at Facebook wasn’t familiar with RtR, but knew the meaning of the Forearm Jerk, and thought the image was obscene?
What if the complaints came from someone originally from Europe?
A misinterpretation of the pose as an obscenity could explain the "Violation of Community Standards" terminology used by Facebook.
Close again but not again
Submitted by jon_torlin on Sat, 08/20/2011 - 10:17pm.
Every time I come close to getting ready to decide to create a facebook account, I keep hearing something that makes me change my mind. This was a big one.
Now that we know Facebook is FIRMLY attached to the behind of Soetoro, I'm definitely not going to use it.
I was going to set one up, keep it as limited and as restricted as possible, but not any more.
Thanks for revealing your true colors, Facebook. Change your blue color of the logo to red, it's more appropriate.
-Jon
This is why I refuse to engage in "social media"
Submitted by Blonde on Sat, 08/20/2011 - 10:20pm.
The only way to ensure one isn't censored is to pay for your own domain name...and post there.
Sites like NB are great...but face it...if I were to go on a lunatic rant, I'd be censored (I would sincerely hope) and perhaps be banned for inappropriate content.
What is far more troubling is that a "social media" giant like FB is engaging in censorship.
Who is this little shit Zuckerman? And why is he allowing his company to censor like this? These are the questions we should be asking.
Personally, IF I HAD a FB account, I'd close it, right bloody now...and send the little turd a message. Buh-bye!
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
You are already engaged
Submitted by richb313 on Sun, 08/21/2011 - 6:59am.
You are already engaged in social media by simply posting comments at any site on the internet. The only way you are not engaged would to be living off the grid and that would be difficult and needless. Every person on the planet who has ever paid a bill, bought any thing with a credit card or made practically any transaction is in hundreds or perhaps thousands of databases world wide.
Everybody is in these things and have been for over 50 years it is just now that the technology has caught up to the desires of marketers and intelligence agencies alike.
So since it really has been this way for a while, why get upset. I am afraid this is one genie that will never be put back into the bottle.
Please re-read my post again
Submitted by Blonde on Sun, 08/21/2011 - 9:44am.
I think you've misconstrued what I wrote.
The reason I am more than a tad annoyed at FB is it appears to be, shall we say, Orwellian? i.e. Some pigs are more equal than others.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
Blonde: Life before "FB"...
Submitted by Grumpy in Arizona on Sun, 08/21/2011 - 8:54am.
…Was so much simpler and therefore better. I often wonder if some people use a “social networking” site like FB as a substitute for having a family or friends.
(Deep sigh)… I miss my old Underwood typewriter.
But moving back to the present, Governor Brewer is doing a good job regarding illegal immigration. However, the “Rosie the Riveter” cartoon of her was most offensive to some of us in AZ because the star on our AZ State flag is copper in color… not yellow! Past that outrageous slight, I can’t see a thing wrong with the picture.
- Grump :o)
is Robert Gibbs on the flag
Submitted by TerryWest on Sat, 08/20/2011 - 10:48pm.
Is Robert Gibbs on the Facebook flag team ?
Fascistbook!
Submitted by Quasi-socialist on Sat, 08/20/2011 - 10:46pm.
Nuff said.
+1,000
Submitted by Blonde on Sat, 08/20/2011 - 10:55pm.
This.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
So FaceBook admitted error.
Submitted by hbnolikeee on Sat, 08/20/2011 - 10:48pm.
Did Governor Brewer put back her post or even better as a show of good faith for their admitted "error", did FaceBook?
Logic
Submitted by Bill Brasky on Sun, 08/21/2011 - 1:26am.
Liberals are douche bags.
Mark Zuckerberg is a liberal.
Therefore, Mark Zuckerberg is a douche bag.
Logic?
Submitted by Denny Crane on Sun, 08/21/2011 - 10:16am.
Can your logic show how you come to the conclusion that he is a liberal? That "douche bag" (amazing the quality of posts in NB2.ooo) happens to be one of the most successful entrepreneurs of the 21st century.
We Are The 53%
And who in America would think that?
Submitted by expatriot on Sun, 08/21/2011 - 5:01am.
If facebook has become so international that they are flagging Americans for non-American obscenities than they need to move. NO! This is a blatant abuse instigated by the left, period!
Socialist media
Submitted by Cactus Kurt on Sun, 08/21/2011 - 7:47am.
"Social media", like "tolerant liberal", is an oxymoron. It's ironic that Jan Brewer gets censored for an amusing political statement considering Facebook's track record of enforcing "Community Standards". WTG, Zuckerberg. Is Jan Brewer not allowed to make political posts? She is the Governor of Arizona, after all.
Just another reason not to use Facebook.
Digg
Submitted by Chupacabra on Sun, 08/21/2011 - 8:17am.
I can tell none of you guys tried to post anything on Digg. Every time a conservative posts *ANYTHING* the comment is "Dugg Down" into obscurity.
And heaven forbid you let your passion get the best of you. I used the term "Rump Ranger" once and got banned.
Face it folks - Liberals totally dominate the media - including the Web.
The web is still free though
Submitted by hbnolikeee on Sun, 08/21/2011 - 10:04am.
And we need to keep exposing the lies.
No, only lib websites
Submitted by Denny Crane on Sun, 08/21/2011 - 10:19am.
As of now, the internet is dominated (slightly) by conservatives. It is the best way to freely share ideas. That is why the liberals are so dead set to regulate it.
We Are The 53%
The Red Queen Lives... On Facebook
Submitted by CobraMan on Sun, 08/21/2011 - 11:53am.
Sentence first:
"After enough complaints about a particular piece of content are raised, the “flagged” video or comment is removed from circulation and placed into a review system in which a pre-selected group of people review it and decide whether the reports are correct."
Trial later:
"If the complaints are judged incorrect, the content is restored to the Internet. If not, it is kept out of public view.""
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus. The US Supreme Court
Or Anwar al-Awlaki.
Are Illegal aliens undermining the sovereign rights of citizens
Submitted by Brittanicus on Sun, 08/21/2011 - 1:50pm.
Once again the President has ignored the US Constitution, by going over the heads of the Congress in immigration law. It looks like President Obama has cooked his own goose, by bypassing Congress and using his administrative order, to overcome deportation proceedings. It might assist him with ethnic groups and the 20 million plus illegal aliens. However, the TEA PARTY will be avidly watching for irregularities, in the 2012 elections for illegal aliens and others violating the US voting laws. Constituencies must be made to realize that registration and voting by non-citizens are violations against the basic principles of our Dem¬ocratic system and that such cases must be prosecuted.
All states should require anyone who registers to vote to make available proof of U.S. citizenship. This requirement should be identical to the fed¬eral requirement of proof for employment using E-Verify. This new policy is an act of indifference, allowing millions of illegal aliens to stay here, when 13 or 14 US citizens and legal residence cannot find a job Most Americans are aware that approximately 8 million illegal aliens have been hired for some kind of employment. All Emperor Obama has accomplished with this decision, is to keep the illegal alien occupation to continue. Look up on your computer the websites of NumbersUSA, (FAIR) Federation for Immigration Reform for facts and records on illegal immigration.
Most polls have demanded that the border fence be built, as designed by Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) as the 2006 secure fence act; still it remains uncompleted, no matter what Homeland Security secretary Napolitano has elaborated on, in her press conferences. There are still gaping holes, you could drive a Hummer through and give passage to thousands more illegal nationals daily of --ECONOMIC--illegal aliens. There is always a yes vote for top personages who have highly skilled occupations—but not those who are taking menial and low income jobs from our own population.
Michelle Bachmann, chairman of the TEA PARTY, as reported by the Associated Press made illegal immigration an issue in Greenville, South Carolina as part of her three state tours. Michele Bachmann is reported to have said "lax enforcement of immigration laws was a threat to the nation's security. She agreed with a town hall audience at a Greenville stop that U.S. troops should be redeployed from South Korea to South Texas." The report also states that Bachmann said "The problem has been in our unwillingness to enforce the laws that are on the books." and "How do you solve it? You build a barrier, a fence, a wall — whatever you want to call it. You build it…As president of the United States, every mile, every yard, every foot; every inch will be covered on that southern border."
This is the type of speech that Americans wish to hear about fully constructing the Southern border barrier, deployed troops to support the US border patrol. Hundreds of billions could be saved, with perhaps trillions over the years to come and halt overpopulation. The US people haven't heard this kind of talk from Rick Perry, Ron Paul, and Gary Johnson, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin and definitely no assistance from our present President. Rick Perry who has joined the long grueling races has not shown any worthwhile distinction in upholding enforcement laws, to stop the illegal alien occupation. Only Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain have shown strong characters, by determining neither are going to be intimidated by the anti-American radical group La Raza, or the open border agenda of corporate players for cheap labor, or the Imperial court of the current government for future votes. Annually the cost to financially supporting the illegal immigration invasion is rapidly spiraling upwards from the current $113 Billion dollars a year. Oddly enough millions of Americans are not looking to the future, as more encouragement from open border zealots and legal ethnic organizations will have to should the monolithic dollar expense as upcoming.
Arizona was the first state to open the eyes of the public, as the US government has remained incompetent—intentional or not—to save their taxpayers from forced taxation to support economic illegal aliens. Facebook and the other social networks have many good points, but it also negative issues as well?
Michelle Bachmann does have a thick skin, letting the diatribe run off of her, like water of a ducks back. Don't let her slender appearance deceive you, as she has a strong backbone and will fight against the greed, rot and corruption in Washington today and yesterday. You can listen to the usual rhetoric of this administration and even some in the Republican establishment or you can vote for a leader for the People; ALL THE PEOPLE? Voting for the usual career politicians will give America much of the same.
The American people have been brought and sold behind closed doors for years.
So what does that old quote say? “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
Facebook Is A Left Wing Stage - Like We Didn't Know That
Submitted by rammingspeed on Sun, 08/21/2011 - 2:35pm.
Those crazy Marxist tools! Ehna? Flag spam. Another take off on the Saul Alinsky inspired Rules For Radicals playbook. Anarchy is the way to go! And Facebook is part of the deal. (They'll never lie their way out of having their own radical leftist inspiration for taking down the posting.)
The offense
Submitted by Model850 on Sun, 08/21/2011 - 4:50pm.
Likely the only thing complainers and FB administrators found offensive was Brewer's "bastardization" of their beloved dictator's precious iconic "O" in the text.
"Schmukerberg" and Facebook
Submitted by Bob001 on Mon, 08/22/2011 - 10:24am.
I think that it's ABUNDANTLY CLEAR" the "Little Pisher" from San Fransicko and all his minions are firmly vested in OBAMA'S POCKET!!!
Isn't violation of federal law an IMPEACHABLE OFFENSE? Last I knew it was CONGRESS that MAKES the laws and the EXECUTIVE BRANCH has the responsiblity TO ENFORCE THEM!
I have been blocked by Facebook See facebookcensorship.com
Submitted by Bro. Steve Winter on Sat, 10/29/2011 - 11:41am.
Facebook engages in harassment and censorship when it suits them. I have been blocked and censored and have documented much harassment and stalking at http://www.facebookcensorship.com
I also have used my "blocked time" to update the links section to other articles and discussions about Facebook censorship and corrupion including their censorship of Roger Ebert and Jan Brewer the Governor of Arizona. There is also a link to this page.