Facebook has a policy on removing hate speech from its site. Over the past year, some Facebook employees have been arguing that Donald Trump's posts about banning Muslims from entering the United States should be removed because they violate the site's hate speech policy. The argument reached Mr. Zuckerberg's desk. In December Mr. Zuckerberg decided that it would be "inappropriate to censor the candidate" by removing the Trump comments. \({ }^{55}\)

The decision has not been well received. Using the company's internal messaging service as well as in-person conversations with Mr. Zuckerberg, managers and employees have complained that Facebook is bending the site's rules for Mr. Trump. Some of the employees in the Facebook group that reviews content threatened to quit. In a statement, Facebook indicated that its site could be a valuable one for political discourse and "an important part of the conversation around who the next U.S. president will be.".56 In a town-hall meeting with employees, a Muslim employee confronted Mr. Zuckerberg about his decision. Mr. Zuckerberg acknowledged that the Trump post would be considered hate speech under Facebook policies but that the implications of removing the posts were too drastic. One employee commented, "Banning a U.S. presidential candidate is not something you do lightly." \({ }^{\text {57 }}\) Employees continued to object for months after the decision was made, but Facebook has stuck with its initial decision................

Discussion Questions
1. Explain the legal parameters of controlling Facebook posts.
2. Discuss the implications of censoring candidate speech. Be sure to consider all the other candidates who now use Facebook.
3. What are the implications of employer policies on political speech in the workplace?