Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at the company’s annual developers conference in San Jose, Calif., May 1, 2018. Facebook is beginning to enforce a ban on white nationalist content. Credit: Stephen Lam/Reuters

The U.S. has long exported its culture abroad — think Coca-Cola, Hollywood and hip-hop. Facebook was once praised for spreading free-speech values. But the world is pushing back with different values, which Facebook is importing to the U.S. with the company’s ban on white extremist content.

The ban goes into effect worldwide this week. Experts and advocates who’ve long lobbied Facebook to pull potentially dangerous speech say the move — which is wrapped up in the U.S. culture wars — is the result of international pressure forcing the company’s hand.

A Facebook spokesperson says that under the new rules, users can’t post in a celebratory way on its News Feed or Instagram: “I’m a white nationalist!” But they can post: “I’m a black nationalist!”

John Spier, a Facebook user in Central California, says that’s “ridiculous.” Spier, a self-described libertarian, says everyone should have freedom of […]