Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced measures on Friday to address disinformation and potential escalations of violence surrounding the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas. This announcement comes after the European Union called for social media platforms including Meta, Youtube, and Tiktok to adopt stronger actions against the spread of misinformation. In response to Meta’s efforts, groups such as the Association for Progressive Communications have urged for the protection of “Palestinian digital rights”.
In the span of three days following the Hamas attack on October 7, Meta removed or flagged over 795,000 pieces of content in both Hebrew and Arabic that violated their policies. This marks a sevenfold increase in removal rates compared to the two months preceding the conflict, specifically related to content breaching the Dangerous Organizations and Individuals Policy in Hebrew and Arabic.
According to Meta, Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by numerous Western governments, falls under the company’s Dangerous Organizations and Individuals Policy. Consequently, it is prohibited from Meta’s platforms. The company actively removes any praise or substantial support of Hamas, whilst still permitting open discourse concerning social and political matters.
To swiftly deal with content that breaches their community standards or guidelines, Meta established a special operations center equipped with experts fluent in Hebrew and Arabic following the October 7 attacks.
Meta has also introduced several additional strategies to mitigate emerging threats. These measures include stronger precautions to prevent recommending potentially violation content, broadening the Violence and Incitement Policy to prioritize hostage safety, and limiting access to certain hashtags associated with violating content. The platform will only allow displaying hostage-taking victims if their faces are blurred. In cases where assessments are unclear, the safety and privacy of the victims will be prioritized.
Despite these strides, the Association for Progressive Communications expressed their concerns regarding what they perceive as significant censorship of Palestinian voices. The Association asserts that such censorship threatens freedom of expression, access to information, and political participation.
In related news, Meta’s competitor X took similar measures in an attempt to curb disinformation on Friday after the European Commissioner Thierry Breton raised a statement of concern.
Various civil society organizations have also voiced their concerns regarding conflict-related hate speech and disinformation on social media. A review conducted by the Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media discovered 19,000 Hebrew-language tweets related to hate speech and incitement, and suggested that the prevalence of such speech surged after October 7th. The Anti-Defamation League has also called on social media platforms to limit the diffusion of graphic media posted by Hamas following the conflict.