Senator Pushes Social Media Provider for Answers on Suppression of Palestine-related Content
Democrat is worried about what Facebook and Instagram are providing users
A Democratic senator wants the parent company of Facebook and Instagram to provide answers about its reported suppression of Palestinian and Palestine-related content following Hamas’s deadly October 7 attacks.
Sen Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts, sent a letter Friday to Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, seeking information about its alleged suppression or mistranslation of such content.
Nearly 20,000 Palestinian civilians have been killed — including thousands of children and women — since Israel began its military operations in Gaza following the October 7 attacks.
Nearly the entire Gazan population of 2.2 million have been displaced since that fighting began and its been without adequate food, water and other necessities, as well.
More than 90 human rights and civil society organizations have raised the alarm about Meta’s suppression, and several news organizations have reported instances of Instagram suppressing content related to Palestine – going as far as marking the Palestinian flag emoji as “potentially offensive,” and translating user bios that contained the words “Palestinian” and “Alhamdulilah” (Arabic for “praise be to God”) as “Palestinian terrorist” or “praise be to God, Palestinian terrorists are fighting for their freedom,” according to a statement from Warren’s Senate office.
In addition to this, Meta has reportedly manipulated its content filters to apply stricter standards to content from Palestine as compared to the rest of the world, the statement said. This has been followed by numerous account suspensions and content suppression for communication linked to Palestine, it added.
“Amidst the horrific Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel, a humanitarian catastrophe including the deaths of thousands of civilians in Gaza, and the killing of dozens of journalists, it is more important than ever that social media platforms do not censor truthful and legitimate content, particularly as people around the world turn to online communities to share and find information about developments in the region,” Warren said, adding, “Reports of Meta’s suppression of Palestinian voices raise serious questions about Meta’s content moderation practices and anti-discrimination protections.
“Social media users deserve to know when and why their accounts and posts are restricted, particularly on the largest platforms where vital information-sharing occurs. Users also deserve protection against discrimination based on their national origin, religion, and other protected characteristics.”
In order to further understand what legislative action might be necessary to address these issues, Warren asked Meta for more information on the company’s application of its policies, with responses expected no later than January 5, 2024.
Click for the text of Warren's letter (PDF)
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