Facebook has reversed a decision to block searches on its platform for a US teenager who was acquitted of killing two people during unrest in Wisconsin.
The company took action shortly after the shooting by Kyle Rittenhouse in August 2020, ensuring that a search for his name would result in a list of blank pages.
Facebook confirmed the change in its policy to the BBC, but declined to comment.
Mr Rittenhouse, 18, was acquitted this month of two counts of murder and one attempted murder.
In a Twitter thread shortly after the shooting, Facebook’s Brian Fishman, former director of its Dangerous Individuals and Organizations division, said the company had halted searches for the teenager’s name.
He also said Facebook was removing Mr Rittenhouse’s praise. This policy went beyond other major social media platforms.
For example, YouTube had no specific Kyle Rittenhouse policy, and only removed content that broke existing rules for glorifying violence.
The teenager admitted to shooting two people and injuring a third during a racial unrest in the Wisconsin city of Kenosha last year, but said he was acting in self-defense.
Mr Rittenhouse is considered a patriotic hero by some, and a reckless vigilante by others. The line between supporting and glorifying violence is a difficult decision for moderators.
In December last year, the BBC found videos on YouTube of people recreating the shooting at gunpoint of Kyle Rittenhouse. It was only after the platform was alerted about the videos that they were removed.
However, YouTube did not remove other videos glorifying Mr Rittenhouse’s actions. YouTube’s moderation of Rittenhouse content was on a case by case basis.
Facebook took a very different approach. This removed Mr Rittenhouse’s accounts.
Even though people were allowed to talk about Mr Rittenhouse on stage, a search for his name would result in a list of blank pages. His acquittal made it difficult to uphold Facebook’s policy.
The decision also raised questions about whether Facebook had made more improvements in moderating Rittenhouse-related content in this way.
Several right-wing publications and broadcasters in the US condemned Facebook’s decision to block searches for his name.
For example, the New York Post argued: Facebook convicted Kyle Rittenhouse from the start.
Republican Senator Josh Hawley said after the verdict that Big Tech had made up its mind on the matter months earlier, sought to deny the presumption of innocence to Kyle Rittenhouse and censor those who disagreed.
However, Facebook would argue that a tragic act of violence requires a concerted response.
The BBC understands that Mr Rittenhouse does not currently have a Facebook or Instagram account. It is unclear whether Facebook will prevent him from making one in the future.
