Facebook knew about violent extremists before insurrection, reports find [Updated]

Enlarge / Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg speaks during a Facebook Community Boost event at the Knight Center on December 18, 2018, in Miami, Florida. (credit: Joe Raedle | Getty Images)

Update, 1/14: A trio of new reports make clear that contrary to Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg's position, individuals were using Facebook to plan violence before last week's insurrection at the US Capitol-and that users are still doing so today.

The New York Times today published a report looking at individuals, including at least one who attended the January 6 rally at the Capitol, who were radicalized specifically on Facebook and Instagram. Simply put, many users whose earlier content tended toward the bland and anodyne saw massive spikes in engagement-way more likes and comments-from other users when they began sharing conspiracy theories alleging the 2020 election was "stolen" or other Qanon-style content.

Many users "transformed seemingly overnight," according to the NYT review. "A decade ago, their online personas looked nothing like their presences today. A journey through their feeds offers a glimpse of how Facebook rewards exaggerations and lies."

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