Facebook says it's taking down any mention of the alleged whistleblower's name

The whistleblower is going down — from Facebook.

On Friday, Facebook announced it would take down any posts containing the name conservatives are alleging belongs to the Ukraine whistleblower. Spreading the name "violates our coordinating harm policy," Facebook said in a statement, so it is "removing any and all mentions of the potential whistleblower's name."

Under that policy, Facebook prohibits "outing of witness, informant, or activist." That would include the Ukraine whistleblower, who raised concerns about President Trump's call with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in which Trump pushed for an investigation into the Bidens. Right-wing sites have started speculating on the identity of the whistleblower, but Facebook said it would only reconsider its decision if their name was "widely published in the media or used by public figures in debate."

Facebook didn't say if lawmakers or government officials had requested the takedown, though it has previously been reluctant to purge the site of deceptive posts. The alleged whistleblower's name still remains all over Twitter, including on the feed of President Trump's own son.

More stories from theweek.com
Donald Trump Jr. walks offstage after being heckled at book event — by conservatives
Customers step up to help lone restaurant employee working a busy shift
The therapeutic benefits of taking out the garbage