North Carolina National Guard settles lawsuit over blocking Facebook critic

Published Aug 6, 01:02 PM UTC

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The North Carolina National Guard (NCNG) settled a federal lawsuit with former guardsman Timothy Stanhope, who alleged his First Amendment rights were violated when he was blocked on Facebook for criticizing Guard leadership. Under the settlement, NCNG agreed to restore Stanhope's access to its Facebook page, unhide his comments, and revise its moderation policy to no longer block users or remove comments simply for being 'inappropriate.' Comments remain subject to Facebook's community standards. The Center for Individual Rights, which represented Stanhope, called the settlement a victory for free speech. Stanhope had criticized Guard mismanagement, including a 2021 deployment to Washington, D.C., and shared an officer's mugshot from a DUI arrest. The Guard did not block him until after his retirement in 2023.

Source

Military TimesWestern

Original language: EN

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North Carolina National Guard settles lawsuit over blocking Facebook critic

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