- Facebook told its employees on Monday to avoid wearing clothes that suggest they work for the company as a security measure.
- “Global security is encouraging everyone to avoid using or carrying Facebook-branded items at this time,” said an internal memo, seen by The Information.
- The security precaution came after Facebook suspended President Donald Trump from the platform on Thursday.
- It is also removing all posts that reference the “Stop the Steal” campaign after the Capitol riots.
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Facebook told employees on Monday to avoid wearing company-branded clothing in public out of concern for their safety after the social media platform suspended President Donald Trump’s account.
“In light of recent events, and erring on the side of caution, global security is encouraging everyone to avoid using or carrying Facebook branded items at this time,” said an internal memo sent on Monday, revised by The Information.
In the wake of the U.S. Capitol siege, Facebook banned Trump for at least two weeks and began removing all posts referencing the “Stop the Steal” campaign, which falsely claims that Democrats stole the election.
The company’s security team posted the memo on an internal workplace board that can be accessed by more than 56,600 employees, The Information reported.
Facebook did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
A crowd of violent pro-Trump supporters, fueled by the president’s violent rhetoric and allegations of electoral fraud, invaded the Capitol on Wednesday. Five people died, including a Capitol police officer.
Trump posted a video on Facebook and Twitter on the day, telling protesters to “go home” but did not condemn his actions. “We love you; you are very special,” he said. Both platforms later removed the video.
After the siege, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the platform blocked Trump “indefinitely” because “the risks of allowing the president to continue using our service during this period are just too great.”
Zuckerberg said Facebook would ban him “at least in the next two weeks until the peaceful transition of power is completed”. President-elect Joe Biden is due to take office on January 20.
Read More: Banning Trump from social media is just ‘a bandage wound,’ critics say – but no one can agree on the best way to eliminate the contagion of disinformation
Facebook is not the only social media platform to crack down on Trump’s accounts after the Capitol siege. The day after Facebook banned it, Twitter also did it, “due to the risk of further incitement to violence,” the company said.
Snapchat also “blocked” Trump’s account, a Snap spokesman told Insider on Thursday.
San Francisco law enforcement officers were preparing for a pro-Trump protest outside Twitter’s headquarters on Monday – in the end, only two people showed up.