SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 8 (Reuters) – Facebook Inc. FB.O is

taking down any content that claims to name the anonymous

whistleblower who ignited an impeachment inquiry into U.S.

President Donald Trump, the social network said on Friday.



The company’s statement follows right-wing Breitbart News’

publication of an article that said it identified the

whistleblower.

Breitbart, which former Trump adviser Steve Bannon once

headed, reported that Facebook users attempting to view the

article received a message saying the content was not available,

and administrators of its Facebook page began receiving

notifications on Wednesday evening that its page is “at risk of

being unpublished.”

“Any mention of the potential whistleblower’s name violates

our coordinating harm policy, which prohibits content ‘outing of

witness, informant, or activist,'” the company said in a

statement, initially provided in response to Breitbart.

“We are removing any and all mentions of the potential

whistleblower’s name and will revisit this decision should their

name be widely published in the media or used by public figures

in debate.”

The whistleblower, a U.S. intelligence official who

complained about Trump’s July 25 telephone call with Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has in recent days become a

target of attacks by Trump, his allies in Congress and the

conservative media, who have pushed for the person to be

publicly identified.

Breitbart is one of the top-performing publishers on

Facebook and was recently designated as an official Facebook

News partner. Facebook said in response to critcism of that

decision that Breitbart is an unpaid partner, unlike some

outlets in the section.

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