COVID-19: Anti-Quarantine Groups Found New Home After Being Banned on Facebook

After a social media network, Facebook bans all groups and posts about anti-Coronavirus quarantine, some of them now shift to another platform. A report found out that several anti-quarantine groups originally from Facebook are now switching to a less-popular website called MeWe.

After Facebook, here's where Anti-Quarantine groups will be right now

COVID-19: Anti-Quarantine Groups Found New Home After Being Banned to Facebook
COVID-19: Anti-Quarantine Groups Found New Home After Being Banned to Facebook YOUNG KWAK on Reuters

Since the start of the implementation of stay-at-home orders due to the spread of Coronavirus, it is expected that not everyone will be happy due to this solution.

Due to this, several anti-quarantine groups and posts were made online-- especially in the United States. Unfortunately, most of these groups also cater to fake news.

As a way to fight against them, Facebook now bans most of the groups from their platform. Facebook now requires all events to tell attendees to adhere to social distancing guidelines explicitly and has banned groups that encourage users to break state mandates.

However, not all social media platforms apply the same rules, and that's where anti-quarantines want to join in.

Where will they join now?

COVID-19: Anti-Quarantine Groups Found New Home After Being Banned on Facebook
COVID-19: Anti-Quarantine Groups Found New Home After Being Banned on Facebook Photo by Kon Karampelas on Unsplash

After Facebook officially bans all groups and posts that will encourage violators within the quarantine period, organizers of the groups now switch to another social media site called MeWe.

Unlike Facebook, Subscription-based social site MeWe has been a home for conspiracy theories and other groups with contents that are prohibited from being showcased on other social media platforms. Some of the groups seen on MeWe are flat-Earthers, white supremacists, and even anti-vaxxers.

Business Insider finds out that MeWe is becoming the new home for groups like Open Texas Now!, #ReOpenFL, and other anti-quarantine groups.

MeWe started in 2012, has already attracted 8 million users from the past years. The website's spokesperson David Westreich has said that their users have the freedom to post anything they like, compared to Facebook.

"Unlike Facebook, MeWe respects its members as customers to serve and delight, not data to target or sell to advertisers, marketers, or politicians," Westreich told Business Insider. "MeWe members have total control of their data, news feeds, and privacy."

Though everyone has the freedom to post anything on MeWe, Westreich said that every content being posted on their platform is still being reviewed by their moderators every time. In the case of the anti-quarantine groups, the spokesperson said that they were "likey" reviewed by moderators, but none of the groups are being taken down yet.

"False information about anything is concerning at MeWe and so we take a systemic approach to the solution," Westreich said. "If you've found such content on MeWe, then it's likely it hasn't yet been reported to our Trust and Safety Team team or it may already be pending review."

ALSO READ: Anti-Quarantine Websites Usually Don't Relate to COVID-19; Here's Why They're Made

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