Sandberg says the riot in the Capitol was “largely” not organized on Facebook

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg said Monday that the Capitol uprising last week was largely organized on other internet services, not Facebook.

“We took out QAnon, Proud Boys, Stop the Steal again, everything related to possible violence last week,” Sandberg said in a live-streamed interview with Reuters. “Our enforcement is never perfect, so I’m sure there were still things on Facebook. I think these events were largely run on platforms that have no ability to stop hatred, that don’t have our standards, and that have our transparency. “

But there were still plenty of groups who could post on Facebook about the storming of the Capitol before the riots last week. For example, CNBC found that the Facebook group for The Black Conservatives Fund political action committee called on its 80,000 followers to march to the Capitol on January 5, the day before the riots. The group removed the post following a CNBC investigation.

Sandberg added that the company continues to work to find and remove any mention that may be related to the uprising. Sandberg’s comments come after Facebook announced last week that it would suspend President Donald Trump indefinitely, at least until President-elect Joe Biden takes over the Oval Office.

“We have no plans to lift it,” said Sandberg. “This showed that even a president is not above the policies we have.”

Sandberg was also asked about her future at the company after the New York Times reported in July 2020 that she had been sidelined within the company after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg took a more hands-on approach to the company’s relationships with lawmakers in Washington. That was a position that was previously the responsibility of Sandberg.

“I’ll stay,” Sandberg said, adding that she loves her job. “People love headlines about corporate drama, and I think it’s fair to say that they especially love headlines about sidelining women, but I feel very happy with this job.”