Meta ‘stifling’ pro-Palestine voices on social media, rights group says
Al Jazeera
‘Censorship’ of hundreds of posts on Facebook, Instagram during Gaza war furthers ‘erasure of Palestinians’ suffering’.
Social media giant Meta has systematically censored pro-Palestine voices during the current Israel-Palestinian conflict, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW).
The report alleges that Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, has pulled down or suppressed hundreds of pro-Palestine posts due to flawed content moderation policies, poor implementation, and “undue government influence”.
“Meta’s censorship of content in support of Palestine adds insult to injury at a time of unspeakable atrocities and repression already stifling Palestinians’ expression,” said Deborah Brown, HRW’s acting associate technology and human rights director.
“Social media is an essential platform for people to bear witness and speak out against abuses while Meta’s censorship is furthering the erasure of Palestinians’ suffering.”
HRW said it went through more than 1,000 cases of Meta censorship in 60 countries, documenting a pervasive “pattern of undue removal and suppression of protected speech, including peaceful expression in support of Palestine and public debate about Palestinian human rights”.
