Meta just pulled a Facebook group page that allegedly targeted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Chicago, following direct contact from the Department of Justice. The takedown marks the latest escalation in the Biden administration's crackdown on platforms that could endanger federal law enforcement officers, with Attorney General Pam Bondi warning tech companies to eliminate spaces where "radicals can incite imminent violence."
Meta just bowed to federal pressure in a major content moderation showdown. The tech giant removed a Facebook group page Tuesday that authorities say was being used to "dox and target" Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Chicago, after the Department of Justice made direct contact about the alleged threats.
Attorney General Pam Bondi didn't mince words when she announced the takedown on X, warning that the DOJ "will continue engaging tech companies to eliminate platforms where radicals can incite imminent violence against federal law enforcement." The statement signals an aggressive new approach to policing social media content that could endanger government agents.
Meta confirmed the removal but kept details sparse. "This Group was removed for violating our policies against coordinated harm," a company spokesperson told reporters, referencing the platform's community standards on coordinating harm. The company declined to reveal the group's size or specify what content triggered the violation.
The Facebook takedown represents the latest domino to fall in what's becoming a coordinated government campaign against apps and platforms that could compromise federal agent safety. Apple caved to similar pressure nearly two weeks ago, removing the ICEBlock app after Bondi called it "designed to put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs." Google followed suit, pulling what it called "similar apps" even though the DOJ never directly contacted the search giant.
But this crackdown is hitting resistance from app developers who see constitutional issues at stake. Joshua Aaron, creator of the banned ICEBlock app, fired back at both Apple and the White House in a CNBC interview, comparing his app to Waze, which lets drivers report police locations to avoid speeding tickets. "This is about our fundamental constitutional rights in this country being stripped away by this administration, and the powers that be who are capitulating to their requests," Aaron argued.
