Report: Meta Accused of Censoring Pro-Palestinian Accounts

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Facts

• International NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) has claimed that social media giant Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, has been systematically censoring pro-Palestinian accounts in the wake of Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and the ensuing conflict in Gaza.¹
• According to a report published on Wednesday, Meta has allegedly either taken down or suppressed over 1K posts from Palestinians and their supporters involving peaceful content in favor of Palestine on its main platforms between October and November.²
• HRW also found that Meta censored dozens of posts documenting Palestinian suffering in Gaza based on its policies on violent and graphic content despite their newsworthiness. This allegedly contributed to the erasure of the pain of the Palestinian community, according to the report.³
• Meta did acknowledge the erroneous removal of some content on its platforms but rejected allegations that it has deliberately suppressed content with intent. The social media giant argued that the number of cited examples wasn't enough to support a pattern of systemic censorship.⁴
• This comes just days after Meta's quasi-independent Oversight Board ruled that two posts 'informing the world about human suffering on both sides' of the war in Gaza were wrongfully removed. Meta had reinstated the posts on its own and added warning messages due to the violent content.⁵
• The company has long been accused of silencing people who express support for Palestine, with a similar report from the HRW in 2021 prompting Meta to commission an independent review into content moderation regarding Palestinian rights.⁶

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²Human rights watch, ³Euronews, ⁴Guardian, ⁵Associated Press and ⁶Truthout.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by The media line. Horrific antisemitism on social media skyrocketed after Hamas' catastrophic attack on Oct. 7, as anti-Israel and pro-Hamas accounts flooded platforms with propaganda and fake images. Social media platforms have a duty to prevent toxic hate speech and disinformation, especially during the fog of war in a volatile conflict. This war is difficult for everyone, but social media platforms cannot make the problem worse by spreading lies and dangerous content — a mindful approach to content moderation is required.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Common dreams. In an ever-worsening humanitarian cataclysm in Gaza, Meta has been silencing the voices of people who wish to spread the truth about the conflict. These voices claimed that Palestinian suffering was disproportionately represented in the media, and their social media posts are vital documentation for the historical record. Meta's deletion of these 1K posts is reckless and it's causing pain and suffering for end users.

Predictions