A recent post
highlighted questions about Facebook's unresponsiveness to suggestions by the Victorian Police that it remove offensive content. Removal is permissible under the social network service's terms & conditions.
The Age reports that Police Chief Commissioner Ken Lay has
savaged Facebook, declaring that the social media giant has incited hatred and undermined the state's legal system by hosting pages that could prejudice the trial of the man who allegedly raped and murdered Jill Meagher. ...
Facebook's arguments about why it cannot remove the pages - some of which call for ___ to be executed - are "a nonsense", and that the company lacked a sense of social responsibility.
The report indicates that
While it was reported earlier this week that Facebook had removed the pages, Mr Lay said this morning that it was actually the creator of the page who removed it.
"They've got a social responsibility, this mob," Mr Lay told 3AW.
"If they're going to make a lot of money out of the community, they've got to invest in the community too, and that's to behave appropriately and ensure that Facebook doesn't incite hatred or doesn't act in a way that undermines the legal system.
"Basically they're telling us, well, give us a court order and we'll change our view. But that's just a nonsense to me. If every business behaved like that, we'd be in a sorry state in this community.
"To me it's just a nonsense that someone who is sucking an enormous amount of money out of the community isn't prepared to invest in that community by helping it stay safe and act in an appropiate manner."
The Chief Commissioner indicates that 'police, and state and federal politicians were working on ways to force Facebook to remove offensive pages when requested'.
