Facebook deletes 'Stop the Steal' group, enforces emergency limiting protocols post-election

Days after the 2020 national elections, Facebook is enforcing emergency policies that executives at the Big Tech company have previously described as "break glass" options, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Late on Thursday, the company began implementing measures that it said were designed to stop the spread of false information and that could lead to unrest in the aftermath of the elections, including the presidential race between President Trump and Democrat, which as of Friday remains undecided.

A group called "Stop the Steal" that was organizing protests at vote-counting facilities across the nation was removed Thursday from Facebook, prior to the emergency enforcements going into place. 

The company is reportedly moving to alter the algorithms that are responsible for the spread of content. Restrictions will be in place to limit the spread of live video on the platform, in addition to limiting the number of users that see posts classified as misinformation. 

The "Stop the Steal" Facebook group quickly grew to more than 360,000 members within 24 hours of its creation.

"The group was organized around the delegitimization of the election process, and we saw worrying calls for violence from some members of the group," a Facebook spokesperson said.

However, not all Facebook executives reportedly agreed with the move, with one saying that he saw nothing out of sync with "common political hyperbole," and witnessed no calls to violence.

Of yet, no incidents of violence have been reported as a result of "Stop the Steal" protests around the country, which have included small crowds, signs, and the presence of children.