Facebook will no longer recommend political groups permanently

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg speaks at Georgetown University in a ‘Conversation on Free Expression’ in Washington, DC, on October 17, 2019.

Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Wednesday that the company will no longer recommend civic and political groups to its users.

The change comes in the wake of the US Capitol insurrection on January 6.

“This is a continuation of the work we have been doing for some time to lower the temperature and discourage divisive conversations,” said Zuckerberg in a call with analysts after the company’s fourth quarter earnings.

This happened after the company decided to temporarily stop recommending these groups to U.S. users in October, ahead of the 2020 U.S. elections.

In addition, Zuckerberg said the company is now considering measures to reduce the amount of political content that users see in its News Feed.

“One of the main comments we are hearing from our community now is that people do not want politics and struggle to take ownership of their experience in our services,” said Zuckerberg.

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