Facebook execs reportedly knew misinformation, calls to violence were growing in Groups
Researchers recommended the social network take measures to slow them down, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Facebook faces new accusations of doing too little to control extremism on its platform.
Facebook has accelerated its clampdown on Groups that spread misinformation and call for violence since the US Capitol riot on Jan. 6, but its researchers warned executives these problems were rife in major politics Groups since last August, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
Many of the most active Groups included hateful speech, misinformation, bullying and harassment, data scientists reportedly said. They apparently recommended slowing the growth of such Groups so that Facebook could address violations.
In November, the company shut down a group with more than 364,000 members for spreading misinformation about voter fraud and put others on probation for consistently violating its community standards.
Facebook saw these measures as temporary and didn't impose all the restrictions the researchers called for, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The company didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.