Today, Human Rights Watch (HRW) cast a glaring spotlight on Meta, the tech behemoth steering Instagram and Facebook, accusing it of orchestrating a calculated suppression of pro-Palestinian voices. The damning 12,000-plus-words report, titled "Meta’s Broken Promises: Systemic Censorship of Palestine Content on Instagram and Facebook," sketches a troubling narrative of silenced expressions and muffled discourse.
HRW's meticulous examination, spanning over 1,050 instances of online censorship across 60 nations, lays bare recurring patterns reminiscent of concerns voiced by global human rights advocates. This unfolds against the tumultuous canvas of escalating tensions between Israeli forces and Palestinian factions, further fueled by a Hamas-led incursion into Israel on October 7, 2023, claiming the lives of 1,200, predominantly civilians, as per Israeli accounts.
In the aftermath, Israeli reprisals in Gaza, resulting in an estimated 20,000 Palestinian casualties and coupled with restrictive aid policies, plunge the region into a harrowing humanitarian abyss. HRW discerns six well-worn censorship tactics: content vanishing acts, account vanishing acts, engagement barriers, feature restrictions like Instagram/Facebook Live, and the enigmatic "shadow banning."
A point of contention centers on Meta's wielding of the "Dangerous Organizations and Individuals" (DOI) policy, tethered to U.S.-sanctioned rosters of "terrorist organizations." The report spotlights the indiscriminate wielding of these lists, quelling authentic dialogues on the Israel-Palestine imbroglio. Meta faces additional flak for misapplying guidelines on violent content, hate speech, and nudity, with its "newsworthy allowance" policy donning a cloak of inconsistency.
The report intimates that Meta was not blind to the pitfalls of its policy enforcement as far back as 2021, yet the corrective course remains elusive. A 2021 independent probe illuminated the adverse human rights toll on Palestinian users due to Meta's content moderation. Despite Meta's avowal in 2022 to reshape policies, HRW contends that the company falters in discharging its human rights obligations, perpetuating a historical tapestry of abuse.
The report further reveals that, "Based on recommendations from the Oversight Board, the BSR report, and engagement with civil society over the years, Meta made several commitments to addressing concerns around Palestine-related censorship. However, Meta’s practices during the hostilities that erupted in October 2023 show that the company has not delivered on the promises it made two years ago. As this report demonstrates, the problem has grown only more acute."
In response to these allegations, Meta leans on its commitment to human rights principles in its crisis interventions since October 7. HRW concludes by pressing Meta to align content moderation policies with global human rights benchmarks, emphasizing transparency, consistency, and impartiality. The plea extends to Meta granting a haven for protected expression, especially concerning human rights violations and political dynamics. HRW zeroes in on Meta's DOI policy, recommending an overhaul, a scrutiny of the newsworthy allowance policy, and a due diligence dive into the human rights ripples of recent algorithmic tweaks.
Deborah Brown, HRW's acting associate technology and human rights director, punctuates the urgency for Meta to take substantive strides, imploring the company to manifest authenticity in dismantling the veils shrouding Palestinian-related censorship.
Photo: DIW-AIgen
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HRW's meticulous examination, spanning over 1,050 instances of online censorship across 60 nations, lays bare recurring patterns reminiscent of concerns voiced by global human rights advocates. This unfolds against the tumultuous canvas of escalating tensions between Israeli forces and Palestinian factions, further fueled by a Hamas-led incursion into Israel on October 7, 2023, claiming the lives of 1,200, predominantly civilians, as per Israeli accounts.
In the aftermath, Israeli reprisals in Gaza, resulting in an estimated 20,000 Palestinian casualties and coupled with restrictive aid policies, plunge the region into a harrowing humanitarian abyss. HRW discerns six well-worn censorship tactics: content vanishing acts, account vanishing acts, engagement barriers, feature restrictions like Instagram/Facebook Live, and the enigmatic "shadow banning."
A point of contention centers on Meta's wielding of the "Dangerous Organizations and Individuals" (DOI) policy, tethered to U.S.-sanctioned rosters of "terrorist organizations." The report spotlights the indiscriminate wielding of these lists, quelling authentic dialogues on the Israel-Palestine imbroglio. Meta faces additional flak for misapplying guidelines on violent content, hate speech, and nudity, with its "newsworthy allowance" policy donning a cloak of inconsistency.
The report intimates that Meta was not blind to the pitfalls of its policy enforcement as far back as 2021, yet the corrective course remains elusive. A 2021 independent probe illuminated the adverse human rights toll on Palestinian users due to Meta's content moderation. Despite Meta's avowal in 2022 to reshape policies, HRW contends that the company falters in discharging its human rights obligations, perpetuating a historical tapestry of abuse.
The report further reveals that, "Based on recommendations from the Oversight Board, the BSR report, and engagement with civil society over the years, Meta made several commitments to addressing concerns around Palestine-related censorship. However, Meta’s practices during the hostilities that erupted in October 2023 show that the company has not delivered on the promises it made two years ago. As this report demonstrates, the problem has grown only more acute."
In response to these allegations, Meta leans on its commitment to human rights principles in its crisis interventions since October 7. HRW concludes by pressing Meta to align content moderation policies with global human rights benchmarks, emphasizing transparency, consistency, and impartiality. The plea extends to Meta granting a haven for protected expression, especially concerning human rights violations and political dynamics. HRW zeroes in on Meta's DOI policy, recommending an overhaul, a scrutiny of the newsworthy allowance policy, and a due diligence dive into the human rights ripples of recent algorithmic tweaks.
Deborah Brown, HRW's acting associate technology and human rights director, punctuates the urgency for Meta to take substantive strides, imploring the company to manifest authenticity in dismantling the veils shrouding Palestinian-related censorship.
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