Facebook is asking some US users whether they may have been exposed to extremist content or if they are worried that someone they know might be becoming an extremist, USA Today reports.

The pop-ups are part of “The Redirect Initiative” which attempts to “combat violent extremism and dangerous organizations by redirecting hate and violence-related search terms towards resources, education, and outreach groups that can help.”

The Redirect Initiative sounds like something that could be a valuable public service if Facebook was serious about fighting extremism. But that’s obviously not the case.

Only the least popular and least powerful extremists need worry that they’ll be targeted by Facebook. The company actively coddles the most powerful extremist groups on the planet: Governments.

Facebook’s Community Standards on “Dangerous Individuals and Organizations” divides extremist groups into 3 tiers.

The top tier includes “entities that engage in serious offline harms -- including organizing or advocating for violence against civilians, repeatedly dehumanizing or advocating for harm against people based on protected characteristics, or engaging in systematic criminal operations.”

Yet the US Drug Enforcement Administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement – 2 groups organized for violence against civilians – maintain active Facebook pages on which they publicly advocate for, and openly celebrate, their depredations with nary an objection from the company.

The US Internal Revenue Service – a protection racket no different from any other “nice income you got there, be a shame if anything happened to it” criminal scheme – also uses Facebook without consequence.

Facebook will come down hard on a government-affiliated actor now and then but only if they managed to get on the wrong side of the political establishments Facebook itself supports and caters to.

Donald Trump is the obvious example. Foreign regimes who are at odds with the regimes controlling Facebook’s most profitable markets may face bans or “Facebook jail” for activities it considers “legitimate” when the US or EU engage in them.

Facebook’s claimed opposition to extremism isn’t a principled stand against violence, hate or criminal activity. In it’s virtue signaling and propaganda Facebook willingly works with leftist extremist groups.

Conservative groups are often labeled “extremism” or at least “misinformation.”

Thomas Knapp is William Lloyd Garrison Center for Libertarian Advocacy Journalism director. •

• “One of the gravest threats to our democracy today is a powerful group of Big Tech corporations that have teamed up with government to censor the free speech of the American people. This is not only wrong. It is unconstitutional. To restore free speech for myself and for every American, I am suing Big Tech to stop it.

“Big Tech platforms have become increasingly brazen and shameless in censoring and discriminating against ideas, information and people on social media.

- Former President Donald Trump