Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced that it will remove more posts targeting “Zionists” when the term is used to refer to Jews or Israelis rather than supporters of the political movement.
In a statement published on Tuesday, July 9, Meta said that the term “Zionism” is often used in publications to incite violence or deny the existence of Jews or Israelis. This prompted the new update and restriction on the term in its publishing rules.
The company also noted that, although there is no consensus on what people mean when they use the term, it decided to restrict it after an investigation revealed that it is often used to refer to Jews or Israelis in the context of hate speech. This usage violates the company’s policies, as religion and identity are protected under its rules.
Accusations of Meta’s Bias Towards Israel
Meta's latest decisions come in light of the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023. The company faces accusations of adopting policies biased toward Israel and against Palestinian content. Meta is also accused of justifying the restriction on the use of the term "Zionism" as a form of anti-Semitism, by conflating Zionism, Judaism, and Israel.
Meta had previously sent an email to civil society groups on January 30, stating that it was reconsidering its hate speech policy, especially regarding the term “Zionist.” The company requested comments from civil society and digital rights groups on the potential change to its policy.
In response, Amnesty International proposed that Meta ensure its content policies regarding the use of the term “Zionism” and its derivatives are not discriminatory or biased against pro-Palestinian voices.
The organization stated that imposing a ban on the term “Zionism” and criticism of it would arbitrarily restrict the right to freedom of expression and could stifle criticism that seeks to highlight crimes committed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip or the Israeli apartheid regime against Palestinians.
Amnesty added that Meta should not limit criticism of a state's unlawful actions or restrict freedom of expression under the guise of fighting discrimination and racism.
Restriction of Palestinian Content and Increased Automatic Deletion
It is worth mentioning that Meta continues to restrict pro-Palestinian voices on its platforms. According to a comprehensive briefing issued by the Arab Center for the Development of Social Media (7amleh) on November 1, 2023, Meta reduced the minimum level of trust in Palestinian content from 80 percent to 25 percent since the start of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip. This decrease in confidence and credibility in Palestinian content led to an increase in the automatic deletion of "violating" Arabic content.
7amleh Center also documented, through the Palestinian Observatory of Digital Rights Violations (7or), a total of 627 violations on Meta platforms, including 344 instances of incitement to violence or hate speech against Palestinians, and 283 restrictions or removals.
Meta Deliberately Silences Pro-Palestinian Voices During the War on Gaza
Human Rights Watch said last December that Meta’s content moderation policies and systems increasingly silenced voices supporting Palestine on Facebook and Instagram during the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
In its report, Human Rights Watch highlighted patterns of unjustified removal and suppression of protected speech, including peaceful expressions of support for Palestine and discussions of Palestinian human rights. The organization found that the problem lies in Meta’s policies, which are riddled with contradictions, errors, and an over-reliance on automated tools to moderate content. Meta removed dozens of posts documenting Palestinian injuries and deaths that had news value. The organization added that Meta misapplied its policies regarding violent and shocking content, violence, incitement, and hate speech.
“Meta’s censorship of pro-Palestinian content worsens the already horrific atrocities and forms of oppression stifling Palestinian expression,” said Debra Brown, acting director of Human Rights Watch’s technology and human rights division.
Meta's discriminatory policies are not limited to the ongoing Israeli war; Meta has been accused for years of being biased towards Israel and restricting Palestinians. In 2021, Human Rights Watch published a report documenting Facebook's censorship of discussions on human rights issues related to Palestine and Israel. The report warned that Meta arbitrarily silences many voices without explanation, negatively affecting the human rights of Palestinian users.
In a similar context, last February, Meta announced the imposition of new restrictions on political content on the Instagram platform, as part of a feature aimed at reducing the visibility of political content to users. This feature relies on algorithms to determine whether content is political and works to reduce its spread based on textual and visual criteria, according to Meta.
This feature sparked widespread criticism from users who argued that it would undermine freedom of expression and political participation, potentially affecting public opinion on important issues worldwide. These concerns were heightened because the feature was launched during the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, leading to fears that it would create new restrictions on Palestinian content.
Meta's recent decisions to remove targeted rhetoric referring to "Zionists" as a symbol of Jews and Israelis reflect the company's complex and disparate censorship practices, considering the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip. These decisions and changes raise questions about Meta's biases and their impact on the freedom of expression and digital rights of Palestinian users.
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