Facebook and Instagram Have Decided That Olympic Shooting Sports Are Dangerous and Glorify Violence

So no Olympic shooter can be shown with their guns.

Imagine Instagram blocking non-followers from seeing a post by Steph Curry because it featured a basketball, or a post from U.S. Olympic track star Noah Lyles that highlighted his running shoes. Absurd, right?

Yet that's exactly what happened to U.S. Paralympic athlete McKenna Geer, who was shadow banned by Meta after a post sharing her love of the shooting sports.

Earlier this month, Ms. Geer shared a photo on Instagram of the air rifle she used to qualify for the Paralympic Games. The company flagged the photo as out of line with its guidelines and informed her that nonfollowers wouldn't be able to view her account or content in Instagram's search, explore suggested users or similar features. "Our Recommendations Guidelines help to promote content that fosters a safe community on Instagram," Meta wrote in its explanation of why it wouldn't promote her account.

"I have always feared the day the media would censor my sport and speech just because I use firearms," Ms. Geer posted on Instagram on July 17. "That day has finally come." Meta initially blocked Ms. Geer's ability to appeal the decision, and her account remains shadow-banned while her appeal is under review with only a month to go before the competition. Meantime, the tech company is shielded from civil lawsuits under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

As USA Shooting board member Tim Rupli shares at the Wall St. Journal, Geer isn't the only competitive shooter to run afoul of Meta's ridiculous "community standards." U.S. Olympic shotgunner Conner Prince has been subjected to the same treatment, according to Rubli, who also shared that Facebook (another Meta property) "unpublished" the page belonging to the West Point Rifle Team "because Army West Point Rifle goes against our Community Standards."

Fuck your leftwing thought-controlling Groomer Community, Facebook.

posted by Disinformation Expert Ace at 06:00 PM

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