After it suspended President Donald Trump from the platform, Facebook is urging its employees to avoid wearing branded apparel for their own safety.
“In light of recent events, and to err on the side of caution, global security is encouraging everyone to avoid wearing or carrying Facebook-branded items at this time,” an internal memo sent Monday said, according to Business Insider.
Following the attack in the Capitol Building last week, Facebook took down posts containing “Stop the Steal,” which it believed stoked the false belief of widespread voter fraud on behalf of President-Elect Joe Biden.
During the standoff in D.C., President Trump continued to post messages that sites like Twitter and Facebook said further stoked violent rhetoric, resulting in his accounts’ suspension at least until after Biden’s inauguration. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg justified the decision by saying “the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great.”
After the events at the Capitol, Facebook sent the message to more than 50,000 employees suggesting they avoid wearing branded apparel that identifies them as Facebook employees in public, preempting potential backlash over the company’s handling of the President’s posts.
It appears Facebook found itself in the “better safe than sorry” camp, after San Francisco police braced for a pro-Trump protest outside of Twitter’s headquarters this week, but only two people showed up.
