Facebook says it is treating the next two weeks as a "major civic event" and will remove certain content containing the phrase "stop the steal" from its platforms.
Photo: 123RF
"With continued attempts to organise events against the outcome of the US presidential election that can lead to violence, and use of the term by those involved in Wednesday's (Thursday NZ time) violence in DC, we're taking this additional step in the lead up to the inauguration", the company said in a blog post.
A Facebook spokesperson clarified the company would allow posts that clearly share the "stop the steal" phrase to either condemn or to discuss neutrally.
In November, Facebook removed the "Stop the Steal" group in which supporters of US President Donald Trump posted violent rhetoric and false claims of election fraud.
However, the company had not acted against similar rhetoric in the run-up to the election and faced criticism this week for failing to remove posts spurring on the siege of Capitol Hill.
Facebook said it would add a news digest to Facebook News during inauguration week that would include a live video of the inauguration at the US Capitol on 20 January.
The company said it was keeping in place the pause on all advertisements in the US about politics or elections.
- Reuters