Facebook advertising rules

[Broomfondle]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53204072

Just reading through this article on the BBC, it's about new rules for advertisers using Facebook.

Founder Mark Zuckerberg said Facebook would also ban advertising containing claims "that people of a specific race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, caste, sexual orientation, gender identity or immigration status" are a threat to others

It just jarred me a bit. It's for advertisers but assuming it becomes applicable to users in some way, you could say a male or female presents a threat for example (as that is sex) but not a transwoman or transman (as that is an identity).
To have any discussion of threat from transwomen (for example) you would have to refer to them by their sex (male), yet this could also be considered hateful.

Just something I noticed and wondered how women could discuss the threat from males however they identify in this situation.

Hmm, even though I think free speech is important, I also think there's a difference between that and hate speech/and/or inciting and that it's good that there's starting to be zero tolerance for it.

assuming it becomes applicable to users in some way, you could say a male or female presents a threat for example (as that is sex) but not a transwoman or transman (as that is an identity)
See, that's where you (general you) start blurring - of course it's OK to call out people who are a threat, whether male, female or trans.
Far too often though the fact someone is male, female, trans has nothing to do with anything, it's just who they are.
We're all just people.

I agree with you re free speech. It's really strange to read about efforts to reduce platforms for hate speech (especially advertising, it would be really insidious for an advert to suggest a group of people were a threat) and then...find a concern in it.

But I do believe people's sex is relevant when describing groups that present a threat (for example). If we could stick to male/female I wouldn't see a problem but if you can't name someone as a male (due to misgendering etc) or as a trans women (as gender identity is protected) how do you discuss situations where it is relevant?

It's all a bit of projection anyway as this only applies to advertising. But could a transwidows' support group (for example) advertise on Facebook?

Guidelines for product advertising are one thing, but restrictions on political advertising are a threat to free speech. You can speak on side A of an issue, but you can't speak on side B of the issue, because some people have decided that side B is "hateful". (A somewhat subjective category.)

"I believe in free speech, free speech is so important, but not when it's something I disagree with" kind of misses the point of free speech.