On Wednesday, November 6, Facebook made headlines with its controversial decision to suspend the “World Socialist Web Site in Portuguese,” a significant platform for leftist discourse, citing an unfounded charge of “falsification of identity.” This designation was defined by the social media giant as the act of “Creating a Page or profile that appears to belong to a brand or company” or “Pretending that a Page or profile has a commercial relationship to a company, celebrity, or public figure.”
Notice from Facebook on the removal of the WSWS in Portuguese page. [Photo: Facebook]
Facebook’s notification did not provide any concrete examples of activities that allegedly breached its guidelines. While the platform claimed that the decision to “suspend” the page was subject to challenge, our attempts to contest this action have been met with silence, leading to the indefinite “removal” of the page without any additional clarification.
In an email sent to Facebook’s administration on November 12, WSWS writer and the page’s administrator, Guilherme Ferreira, articulated the following:
For all these reasons, we would once again like to appeal Facebook’s decision to remove the “World Socialist Web Site em Português” page and have it reinstated.
We would also like further clarification on the suspension and removal of the page that took place last Wednesday, November 6, because, as we said, they happened without any basis.
Despite the urgency of his plea, Ferreira’s appeal remains unanswered.
This instance of blatant censorship emerged amid a period of escalating global political turmoil, where the WSWS serves as an indispensable source of political insight and perspective.
As imperialist governments enact ruthless policies that heighten the threat of global nuclear conflict, the world’s bourgeoisie increasingly turns to fascistic and authoritarian governance, while the working class faces brutal economic destabilization across nations. The suppression of critical information and socialist ideologies has now become a matter of life and death for the capitalist oligarchs who wield control over Facebook and other major social media platforms.
The shutdown of the WSWS Portuguese Facebook page is particularly noteworthy in the context of Brazil. It coincided with the aftermath of municipal elections that underscored a significant rejection of an increasingly rightward-shifting political establishment. This action directly preceded the emergence of explosive information regarding a dangerous fascist conspiracy involving former President Jair Bolsonaro and a network deeply embedded within Brazil’s military. The WSWS and the Socialist Equality Group (GSI) have consistently alerted the working class to this threat, which has largely been downplayed and suppressed by mainstream media and political entities.
Facebook’s censorship of the “WSWS in Portuguese” page represents an anti-democratic assault that sets a perilous precedent for the suppression of socialist and independent political thought worldwide. We call upon workers, youth, and all left-wing and democratic organizations to robustly denounce this arbitrary action and demand that Facebook rectify its decision.
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