Biden Inauguration: Facebook Suspends Ads For Weapons In US

Facebook in its bid to stage a crackdown on potential domestic terrorism at President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, the social network has temporarily banned US ads for gun accessories and military gear.

The widely used platform told BuzzFeed News that the banned accessories particularly include holsters and body armour. 

The company had already barred ads for guns, ammo, and gun enhancements like silencers.

The restriction followed warnings of a spike in ads for the accessories in the days following the January 6th Capitol riot. 

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The ads were frequently popping up for people who followed extreme right-wing groups and pages, and often directly addressed the potential violence surrounding Biden’s inauguration.

Senators Richard Blumenthal, Sherrod Brown, and Tammy Duckworth accused Facebook of profiting from the chaos, while attorneys general for Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Washington, DC urged Facebook to freeze ads.

The decision comes hours after Facebook blocked events in the DC area, and days after it banned all mentions of the “stop the steal” slogan used for rallying unsupported claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

Facebook doesn’t want even the slightest implication of enabling violence during inauguration week, even if it’s a largely symbolic move when extremists may already have the gear they need.