A new report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) reveals that violent threats against U.S. lawmakers on Facebook surged after Meta rolled back key content moderation policies in early 2025. The analysis examined nearly eight million Facebook comments targeting 100 members of Congress in the six months before and after the policy changes.
Sharp Increase in Harmful Content
According to the report, violent threats—including explicit calls for murder—quadrupled, while harassment more than doubled. Racist and gendered abuse also saw significant increases on the platform. The CCDH highlighted that comments inciting violence against President Donald Trump spiked, with one comment stating he “deserves a bullet through his head.”
Meta's Policy Shift
In January 2025, Meta replaced its U.S. fact-checking program with a community-driven model called “Community Notes,” similar to Elon Musk’s X platform. This shift was intended to protect free speech but has been criticized for reducing oversight. A Meta spokesman stated that the company regularly tracks violating content and that “the prevalence of hateful conduct did not increase throughout 2025,” adding that they could not address the CCDH report as it was not shared in advance.
Broader Context of Political Violence
The report comes amid rising threats against politicians and election officials across the United States. Last year, Minnesota state legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed in a politically motivated attack. In April 2025, a shooting disrupted the White House correspondents’ dinner, forcing Trump’s evacuation.
Imran Ahmed, CEO of CCDH, said, “When platforms stop enforcing their own rules against threats, hate, and harassment, they become complicit in normalizing intimidation and harassment of elected officials. The result is a culture where violence feels easier to justify and radicals feel empowered.”
Reactions from Lawmakers
Republican Senator John Curtis of Utah expressed concern, stating, “When companies reduce oversight in areas like violence, hate, and harassment, it should not be any surprise to see those harms increase. The reported surge in abusive and threatening content directed at public officials is deeply concerning, particularly in light of recent events.”
