Those using Facebook and Instagram to market sales of regulated items, namely guns, will now face new restrictions.
In an attempt to minimize the networks’ roles on facilitating illicit activity,Facebook will require pages promoting regulated items to include a legal notice, and the those pages will be restricted to users over 18 years old, Facebook announced on Tuesday. The company also plans to provide “special in-app education” for those seeking illegal firearms on Instagram.
Additionally, Facebook also said it will not permit any pages or posts that “indicate a willingness to evade or help others evade the law,” such as sites that promote private gun sales with “no background check required.”
“People sometimes use our free tools to discuss products that are regulated or controversial,” the statement reads. “In some cases they promote these products for sale or use, even though it’s not possible to complete a sale on Facebook or Instagram.”
It’s not difficult to locate such pages: one called “Guns for Sale” has more than 200,000 Likes.
Facebook spokesman Matt Steinfeld told Mashable the company will remove posts that suggest a willingness to evade the law, citing as an example those that offer private transactions across state lines. As with other potentially-objectionable content, Facebook will rely on reports from its users to locate these types of posts.
Steinfeld declined to comment on how quickly Facebook would address reports of posts offering illegal gun sales.
Monika Bickert, Facebook’s head of global policy management, said in an emailed statement that the company attempted to strike an “important balance in helping people express themselves, while promoting a safe and responsible community” when drafting its new rules.
“This is something that could greatly get out of control very quickly,” Tom King, president of the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, told the Associated Press.
King called the rules “a kind of limit on our First Amendment rights,” and he expressed concern that his group may face censorship on Facebook even though it does not sell guns.
Several gun regulation advocacy groups such as Americans for Responsible Solutions, Sandy Hook Promise, Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America pushed for and advised Facebook on the measures. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman also provided input on the regulations.
“Responsible social media sites know that it is in no one’s interest for their sites to become a 21st century black market in dangerous and illegal goods that place our families and communities at risk,” Schneiderman said in a statement.
Mayors Against Illegal Guns released a report last year that found tens of thousands of people with criminal backgrounds attempt to buy firearms on the Internet each year. Facebook is not specifically referenced in the report.
Source : Mashable
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