Meta continues to silence more and more content in support of Palestine on the social networks Facebook and Instagram, the organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) denounced on Thursday.
The human rights organization published a report on this “systematic censorship” by Mark Zuckerberg’s technology company of this content since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7.
The report “documents a pattern of removal and exclusion of abuses of protected expression, including peaceful expression in support of Palestine and public debate on Palestinian human rights.”
HRW found an “overreliance on automated content moderation tools and excessive government influence over content removal” on both of Zuckerberg’s social networks.
“Aim contributes to eliminating the suffering of Palestinians”
Deborah Brown, acting deputy director for technology and human rights at Human Rights Watch, said: “Social media is an important platform for people to testify and speak out against abuse, while Meta’s censorship helps eliminate the suffering of Palestinians. ”
The organization verified 1,050 cases of online ‘censorship’ in more than 60 countries, identifying six main patterns.
Types of Censorship on Facebook and Instagram by Mark Zuckerberg
These include removing content, suspending or deleting accounts, not being able to interact with content, not being able to follow or tag accounts, restrictions on the use of features such as Instagram and Facebook Live and “shadow banning”, significantly reducing the visibility of posts or accounts.
According to HRW, in more than 300 cases, users were unable to claim content or delete accounts because the mechanism to do so did not work properly.
In hundreds of cases, Meta invoked its “Dangerous Organizations and Individuals” policy, which includes lists of terrorist organizations developed in the United States, and “misapplied the violent content policy.”
Meta deleted posts with dead and injured Palestinians
According to Human Rights Watch, the company not only applied its policies regarding relevant content “inconsistently,” but also removed dozens of publications documenting reported cases of deaths and injuries among Palestinians.
“Meta must align its content moderation policies and practices with international human rights standards and ensure that decisions on content removal are transparent, consistent and not overly broad or biased,” the organization demanded.
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“The country should review its policies towards dangerous organizations and individuals to bring them into line with international human rights standards,” he added.
The organization also called on Mark Zuckerberg’s company to “review” its policies on relevant content to ensure it is not removed in the “public interest” and to “conduct due diligence on the impact of temporary changes to the recommendation algorithms’. human rights”. It was introduced after the outbreak of the Israeli war against Hamas in the Palestinian Gaza Strip. (EFE)
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Source: La Neta Neta
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
