>>> HOURS BEFORE LAST NIGHT’S
DEBATE, A CONSPIRACY THEORY
BEGAN FLOATING AROUND ONLINE
THAT JOE BIDEN WAS BEING FITTED
WITH A HIDDEN EAR PIECE.
IN A STATEMENT, PRESIDENT
TRUMP’S CAMPAIGN ACCUSED BIDEN
OF BACKING OUT OF AN AGREEMENT
THAT THE TWO WOULD BE INSPECTED
FOR ELECTRONIC EARPIECES AHEAD
OF THE DEBATE.
THE RUMOR WAS SPECULATED ABOUT
ON RIGHT WING MEDIA INCLUDING
FOX NEWS.
BIDEN’S CAMPAIGN DENIES IT EVER
AGREED WITH ONE STAFFER CALLING
THE RUMOR COMPLETELY ABSURD.
BIDEN POKED FUN TWEETING A PAGE
OF HEADPHONES AND A PINT OF ICE
CREAM.
IT’S DEBATE NIGHT, AND MY
PERFORMANCE ENHANCERS READY.
JENNY’S ICE CREAM DEFINITELY A
PERFORMANCE ENHANCER FOR ME.
RASHAD ROBINSON IS HERE ON THIS
VERY IMPORTANT MOMENT.
I KNOW THAT YOU ARE FOCUSING
LATER ON TODAY ON A CAMPAIGN TO
HOLD FACEBOOK ACCOUNTABLE.
BUT THE THING I WANT TO REALLY
TALK ABOUT, I’M HAPPY TO TALK
ABOUT FACEBOOK’S ROLE IN THIS AS
WELL IF YOU’D LIKE TO IS THAT
MOMENT WHERE PRESIDENT TRUMP
TOLD THE PROUD BOYS TO STAND BY.
I MEAN, THAT, I THINK, ALL OF US
ARE STRUGGLING TO GRAPPLE WITH
THE ENORMITY OF THAT.
AND THIS IS OBVIOUSLY NOT THE
FIRST TIME HE’S DONE SOMETHING
LIKE THIS.
WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION TO THIS?
AND WHAT DO YOU THINK AMERICANS
NEED TO DO, GOING FORWARD, INTO
THIS ELECTION CAMPAIGN SEASON?
>> WELL, I THINK WE NEED TO BE
VIGILANT.
WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE THAT IT’S
NOT JUST THE PROUD BOYS THAT
EXIST, IT’S NOT JUST THE OTHER
WHITE NATIONALISTS THAT EXIST
THAT HAVE BEEN GIVEN ENTREE TO
RAISE THEIR VOICES, TO STOKE
VIOLENCE IN COMMUNITIES, TO
COMMIT VIOLENT ACTS.
AND IN COMMUNITIES, IT’S THAT
THEY’VE BEEN ENABLED.
AND THEY’VE ENABLED BY BIG
INSTITUTIONS AND CORPORATIONS.
WE HAVE FOUGHT TO FORCE MAJOR
CREDIT CARD COMPANIES TO CUT OFF
THEM BEING ABLE TO BE PROCESSED.
AND BEING ABLE TO PROCESS FEES
AND BEING ABLE TO RAISE MONEY
ONLINE.
WE’VE HAD TO FIGHT INSTITUTIONS.
BASICALLY, A COUPLE OF HOURS
BEFORE THE DEBATE, I WAS IN AN
EMAIL EXCHANGE WITH INCREDIBLY
HIGH LEVEL PEOPLE AT FACEBOOK, IN A BACK AND FORTH, TRYING TO
IN A BACK AND FORTH, TRYING TO
EXPLAIN TO THEM THAT THE DONALD
TRUMP JR. POST WHO HAVE VIOLATED
THEIR FLAT PLATFORM.
AND WHAT I GOT IS THE SAME
TONE-DEAF THINGS FROM FACEBOOK
HOW IT DOESN’T VIOLATE IT.
JUST A COUPLE HOURS LATER,
DONALD TRUMP DOESN’T NOT ONLY
CONDEMN WHITE NATIONALISTS, HE
TELLS THEM TO STAND BY.
MEANWHILE, THERE’S A POST STILL
UP ON FACEBOOK FROM DONALD TRUMP
JR. NOW CALLING ENLISTING AN
ARMY OF POLL WATCHERS TO COME
AND PROTECT THE PRESIDENT’S
RESULTS.
LIKE, WE ARE LIVING IN A WORLD
WHERE WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO SHOULD
BE STANDING UP AND USING THEIR
POWER TO PUSH BACK.
BUT INSTEAD, BECAUSE OF PROFIT
AND GROWTH, BECAUSE OF FEAR OF
REGULATION, THEY ARE WILLING TO
THROW SAFETY, INTEGRITY AND
SECURITY OUT THE WINDOW.
AND SO, FOR THE AMERICAN PUBLIC,
WHAT WE HAVE TO RECOGNIZE IS
THAT THIS IS A THREAT.
AND WE HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING WE
CAN TO STAND UP AND PUSH BACK.
>> SO, FACEBOOK IS CLEARLY
TRYING TO SUGGEST, IN THE WAKE
OF THE PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS,
THAT THEY HAVE DONE WHAT THEY
SHOULD, IN TERMS OF TRYING TO
ADDRESS THIS GROUP.
THEY SAY THAT THEY BOOTED THEM
OFF OF THE PLATFORM SEVERAL
YEARS AGO.
IS THAT ACTUALLY WHAT’S
HAPPENED?
HOW ARE -- HOW ARE THE PROUD
BOYS AND OTHER GROUPS LIKE THEM
INTERACTING WITH OUR LARGEST
SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS?
>> SO, WE WERE GOING BACK AND
FORTH WITH THEM, ALONG WITH
OTHER GROUPS THIS SUMMER.
TRYING TO GET THE PROUD BOYS
ACTUALLY BOOTED OFF.
SO IT’S ONE THING WHEN SOMEONE
SAYS, OH, WE SET UP THIS POLICY
TO KICK THESE GROUPS OFF.
AND THEN, THEY SAID IT BACK IN
2018.
BUT THIS SUMMER, JUNE 2020, THEY
HAD TO ACTUALLY TAKE THE PROUD
BOYS OFF THE SITE.
BECAUSE AFTER MONTHS OF GOING
BACK AND FORTH, AND MORE UPRISIN
WERE HAPPENING, AFTER PROUD BOYS
SHOWING UP IN COMMUNITIES AND
CONTINUING TO USE THEIR
PLATFORM, WHAT THEY ACTUALLY
SAID THEY HAD DONE HAD NOT
HAPPENED.
A BAN IS NOT A BAN IF NO ONE IS
BANNED.
AND THIS IS WHAT FACEBOOK
CONTINUES TO HAVE A PROBLEM, IS
THAT THEY SET POLICIES AND THEN
THEY DON’T ACTUALLY ENFORCE
THEM.
AND SO, THEY DON’T ACTUALLY
BECOME REAL POLICIES.
IF WE DON’T EXPERIENCE A CHANGE
IN THE PLATFORM, THEN IT HASN’T
ACTUALLY EXISTED.
AND SO, NOW WE’RE GOING TO GET A
LOT OF DEFENSIVE MESSAGES FROM
FACEBOOK.
WE’RE GOING TO GET REALLY CARING
MESSAGES ABOUT HOW HARD THEY ARE
WORKING, HOW MUCH THEY CARE, HOW
MUCH THEY TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY.
THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, IS
THAT WE KNOW WHEN FACEBOOK TAKES
SOMETHING SERIOUSLY, WHEN IT’S
ABOUT MAKING MONEY, WHEN IT’S
ABOUT GETTING MORE ADVERTISERS
ON THE PLATFORM, EVEN WHEN IT
WAS DEALING WITH THE CORONAVIRUS
AND THE DISINFORMATION ABOUT THE
VIRUS, THEY COULD MOBILIZE ALL
SORTS OF FORCES TO MAKE THINGS
HAPPEN.
IT SEEMS WHEN IT COMES TO THE
SAFETY, INTEGRITY, AND SECURITY
OF OUR ELECTIONS, WHEN IT COMES
TO DEALING WITH HATE CONTENT ON
THEIR PLATFORM TARGETED AT BLACK
FOLKS AND JEWISH FOLKS AND OTHER
COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE BEEN THE
TARGETS OF WHITE NATIONALISTS
AND WHITE SUPREMACISTS, WE END
UP GETTING A LOT OF CARING AND
NOT A LOT OF ACTION.
>> ALL RIGHT, RASHAD ROBINSON,
WE WILL BE KEEPING AN EYE ON