A US senator has demanded explanation from Meta Platforms, which owns Facebook and Instagram, regarding reports that the company is censoring pro-Palestinian content on its social media platforms.
The letter, issued by Senator Elizabeth Warren, addresses the accusations that Meta has been deliberately suppressing content supporting Palestine. It is supplemented with a statement signed by over 90 civil society and human rights organisations and cites reports by major news publications pertaining to the issue.
The development comes as Israel continues its blanket bombardment of Gaza which, since October 7, has resulted in more than 19,000 casualties in the war-torn region. Israel’s strikes across Gaza, which are being roundly condemned as war crimes around the world, have killed more than 10,000 children and injured over 18,000, according to reports.
The letter was first carried by The Intercept on December 14, whose own reporting on Meta’s suppression of Palestinian content has been cited in the document. The letter addresses Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg and poses questions regarding Instagram and Facebook’s practices that have led to discriminatory and unfair treatment of pro-Palestine content.
The letter says it is imperative that “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”.
Since the start of Israel’s assaults on Gaza, complaints have been emerging from different countries about the censorship of content in support of Palestine. The company has repeatedly been called out for taking down accounts posting in favour of Palestine, too.
A large number of users around the world have expressed resentment and anger over alleged removal of their pro-Palestinian posts despite no visible guidelines violations. Complaints have also surfaced of content being subjected to “shadow banning”, which refers to limited reach and reduced visibility.
Several celebrities and influencers, with a following running in millions, have complained that their Palestine-related Instagram Stories (24-hour posts) are not receiving as many views.
Other controversial actions by Meta have also led to an increase in the critical scrutiny around its discriminatory practices. In October, Instagram added the term “terrorist” to the profiles of users who identified themselves as Palestinian on the app and then called it a technical glitch.
Later, WhatsApp, which is also owned by Meta, was found to be radicalising Palestinian children on its AI sticker generator. The messaging app produced images in response to prompts such as “Muslim boy Palestinian” in traditional Muslim attire wielding firearms.
