Human Rights Watch has reported that Meta’s policies have increasingly silenced pro-Palestine voices on its Instagram and Facebook platforms amidst the Israeli offensive on Gaza.
The organization detailed in a report obtained by Al Jazeera Net that there is a pattern of unjustified removal and suppression of pro-Palestine content, including peaceful expression and public discussion about the human rights of Palestinians.
Released on Thursday, the 51-page report titled “Broken Promises.. Meta Policies and Censorship of Palestine-related Content on Instagram and Facebook,” attributes the problem to flaws in the company’s policies and their implementation, marked by “contradictions and errors, over-reliance on automated tools for content moderation, and unjustified governmental influence on content removal processes.”
Debra Brown, acting director of the Technology and Human Rights division at Human Rights Watch, stated that Meta’s censorship of content supporting Palestine “exacerbates the situation amid the atrocities and horrific forms of repression that already stifle Palestinian expression.”
She added, “Social media platforms are essential for people to witness violations and express their rejection of them. However, Meta’s censorship further erases the suffering of Palestinians.”
Human Rights Watch reviewed 1050 cases of online censorship across more than 60 countries and found consistency with reports from Palestinian, regional, and international human rights organizations detailing Meta’s censorship of pro-Palestinian content.
Patterns of Censorship
Human Rights Watch identified six main patterns of censorship, each appearing in at least 100 cases: content removal, account suspensions or deletions, inability to interact with content, difficulties following accounts or tagging them, restrictions on using features like Facebook/Instagram live streams, and reducing the visibility of posts without notification (shadow banning).
In over 300 cases, users were unable to appeal the removal of content or accounts due to a dysfunctional appeal mechanism, depriving them of effective remedies, as stated in the report.
In the documented cases, Meta relied on the “Dangerous Organizations and Individuals” policy, which includes comprehensive lists of “terrorist organizations” identified by the United States.
Meta based its enforcement on these lists, applying them broadly to restrict legitimate expression about the combat between Israel and Palestinian factions, according to Human Rights Watch.
The organization also noted that Meta’s application of the “public interest” content policy was fraught with inconsistencies, leading to the removal of dozens of posts documenting Palestinian injuries and deaths of news value.
Meta Recognizes the Flaws
The report mentioned that Meta is aware of the flaws in applying these policies. Human Rights Watch had previously warned in a 2021 report that the company “arbitrarily silences many individuals without explanation.”
Human Rights Watch shared current findings with Meta, and the company responded by stating that its human rights responsibilities and principles guide its “immediate crisis response measures” since October 7th of the previous year.
Human Rights Watch urged the company to reform policies to ensure that content removal decisions are transparent and unbiased and to allow for expressions protected on its platforms, including discussions of human rights violations and political movements.
Debra Brown, acting director of the Technology and Human Rights division at the organization, stated, “Instead of repeated apologies and empty promises, Meta must decisively demonstrate its seriousness in addressing censorship related to Palestine through concrete steps towards transparency and reform.”
