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For Immediate Release

Independent Facebook Content Audit Finds the Platform Has Become a Conduit for Attacks on Civil Rights

WASHINGTON

The following is a statement from Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law:

"Communities are still reeling from the rise in hate and racially motivated violence, and Facebook is not moving aggressively enough to ensure that hate is eliminated root and branch across the platform. There are real-life consequences when social media networks provide platforms for violent white supremacists, allowing them to incubate, organize, and recruit new followers to their hateful movements. Facebook's failure to check elected officials who openly abuse the platform to spread misinformation and sow racial discord stands as one of the greatest threats to our democracy."

The Lawyers' Committee is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to enlist the private bar's leadership and resources in combating racial discrimination and the resulting inequality of opportunity - work that continues to be vital today.

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