The “censorship” of hundreds of publications on Facebook and Instagram during the war in Gaza favors “the erasure of the suffering of the Palestinians”.
Social media giant Meta has systematically censored pro-Palestinian voices during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to a new report from Human Rights Watch (HRW).
The report alleges that Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, removed or deleted hundreds of pro-Palestinian posts due to flawed content moderation policies, poor implementation and “undue influence of the government “.
“Meta’s censorship of pro-Palestine content adds insult to injury at a time of unspeakable atrocities and repression that are already stifling Palestinian expression,” said Deborah Brown, Acting Deputy Director of technology and human rights at HRW.
“Social media provides a vital platform for people to speak out and speak out against abuses, while Meta’s censorship contributes to the erasure of Palestinian suffering. »
HRW said it examined more than 1,000 cases of metacensorship in 60 countries, documenting a “pervasive pattern of unwarranted removal and suppression of protected speech, including peaceful expression in support of Palestine and public debate about human rights of the Palestinians.”
In dozens of cases, Meta removed newsworthy articles documenting the suffering or death of Palestinians. It justified these decisions by referring to its restrictions on “violent and graphic content, violence and incitement, hate speech, and nudity and sexual activity.”
For hundreds of other posts, Meta enforced its “Dangerous Organizations and Individuals” (DOI) policy, which aims to prevent “organizations or individuals that proclaim a violent mission” from being present on the platform. HRW said Meta had abused the policy to “largely restrict legitimate speech around hostilities between Israel and Palestinian armed groups.”
In other cases, Meta deleted or suspended users’ accounts, limited users’ engagement, or “shadowbanned” them, making their posts less visible without telling them, HRW added.
Nearly a third of censored posts could not be appealed due to problems in the appeals system, leaving users without access to recourse, HRW said.
‘Empty promises’
HRW’s concerns about Meta’s content policies follow previous independent investigations and decisions by the company’s watchdog.
In 2021, a report commissioned by Meta found that the company’s flawed content moderation policies had prevented Palestinians from sharing “information and ideas about their experiences as they were happening”, which which had a “negative impact on human rights”.
On Tuesday, Meta’s independent oversight board criticized the company for removing posts that showed human suffering in the ongoing war in Gaza. He restored two of those posts, including an Instagram video of the aftermath of a strike on or near al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
Board co-chair Michael McConnel said it was important for the platform to maintain these posts because they provide “diverse and timely information about groundbreaking events.”
These publications could even constitute “significant evidence of potential serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law,” McConnel said.
In 2022, Meta said it would make changes to its content moderation policies based on recommendations from its Oversight Board, but it did not follow through, HRW claims.
“Instead of tired excuses and empty promises, Meta should demonstrate that it is serious about tackling Palestine-related censorship once and for all by taking concrete steps towards transparency and repair,” Brown said.
