A major international human rights group has released a scathing report accusing Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, of censoring pro-Palestinian content. The 51-page report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) titled Meta’s Broken Promises: Systemic Censorship of Palestine Content on Instagram and Facebook highlights what it calls systematic censorship against Palestinians.
According to the report, Meta’s content moderation policies and systems have increasingly silenced voices supporting Palestine on its platforms. HRW believes this censorship has intensified in the wake of the hostilities between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups. The organization accuses Meta of flawed policies, inconsistent and erroneous implementation, overreliance on automated tools for content moderation, and undue government influence over content removals.
HRW’s report is based on the review of 1,050 cases of online censorship from over 60 countries. Though these cases may not be representative of censorship as a whole, they align with previous reports by Palestinian, regional, and international human rights organizations, which have documented Meta’s censorship of content supporting Palestinians over the years.
The report highlights six main patterns of censorship recurring in at least 100 instances, which include content removals, account suspension or deletion, inability to engage with content, inability to follow or tag accounts, restrictions on features like live streaming, and shadow banning – a term used to describe the decrease in visibility of an individual’s posts, stories, or account without notification.
What’s more alarming is that in over 300 cases, users were unable to appeal content or account removals due to malfunctioning appeal mechanisms, leaving them without an effective remedy.
HRW accuses Meta of misuse and misapplication of its content policies. It alleges that Meta has broadly applied its Dangerous Organizations and Individuals (DOI) policy to restrict legitimate speech related to the hostilities between Israel and Palestinian armed groups. The organization also claims that Meta has inconsistently applied its policies on violent and graphic content, violence and incitement, hate speech, and nudity and sexual activity. HRW asserts that Meta has even removed content documenting Palestinian injury and death that has news value, despite its supposed commitment to allow newsworthy content.
Concerningly, Meta has failed to follow through on its commitment to make necessary changes in its content moderation policies and enforcement. HRW references an independent investigation that found Meta’s content moderation in 2021 had an adverse human rights impact on Palestinian users and impeded their ability to share information about their experiences.
This report comes amid ongoing complaints by Palestinian social media activists regarding bias by social media platforms, as they face increasing restrictions and censorship. Activists claim that thousands of posts and accounts have been removed by social media platforms since the eruption of hostilities between Hamas and Israel on October 7.
The HRW report urges Meta to address these systemic issues and fulfill its human rights responsibilities. It hopes that this exposure will lead to effective changes in content moderation policies and practices, ensuring a fair and balanced representation of voices on social media platforms.
