Facebook has removed the personal account of a 12-year old Georgia boy who posted a viral video that was critical of President Obama. In the video, the boy is seen supporting Rudy Giuliani’s comments that “President Obama doesn’t love America.”
Why Facebook suspended the account
The video went viral and earned C.J.Pearson fame, but he had to pay for it by getting his Facebook account deactivated for “suspicious activity” as his friend informed him on Friday morning.
“I am having my Editor, Alan Davidson post on my behalf on this page while Facebook continues to lock me out,” wrote the Columbia Middle School student, according to Fox.
Pearson feared the possible cause of his account being deactivated by Facebook was that the video got 1.4 million views, and they could not tolerate anything being said against Obama.
Replying to the request made by Pearson asking for a reason for the deactivation, Facebook replied saying his age did not allow him to have an account. The boy is just 12, and Facebook’s Terms and Conditions explicitly state that a minimum of 13 years of age is required to have an account on the social networking site.
Age the real reason, not content?
Facebook clarified that some member of the public informed them that Pearson was less than 13 years of age, and then the company acted in accordance with its rules and regulations. A representative of Facebook said Pearson was barred from having an account because he was found guilty of lying about his real age and that the content posted was not the reason.
However, Pearson was not satisfied with their reply and told Fox DC that in reality there are many users who are under the age of 13 but still have accounts on Facebook. “I will not stop here,” he told FOX 5. “You cannot silence a voice that deserves to be heard. And I will continue to make as many accounts as possible.” Over the weekend, the boy made numerous media appearances to voice his comments.
