Facebook’s reversal on banning claims that covid-19 is man-made could unleash more anti-Asian sentiment

Facebook has long-defended an expansive view of free speech, but in recent years has moved further in the direction of policing, hiring tens of thousands of content moderators, publishing lengthy policies, and developing algorithms that restrict the content people can share. As the pandemic began, the company went much further, banning dozens of misleading or false claims on the grounds that they could cause imminent harm.