Meta’s Broken Promises: Systemic Censorship of Palestine Content on Instagram and Facebook

A report by Human Rights Watch highlights significant online censorship of pro-Palestinian content on Meta’s platforms, Instagram and Facebook, amidst Israel’s ongoing War on Gaza that escalated in October 2023. The report documents over 1,050 instances of content suppression, predominantly involving peaceful expressions of support for Palestine. It identifies systemic patterns of censorship, including post removals, account suspensions, and restrictions on engagement features. Human Rights Watch attributes this censorship to flaws in Meta's policies, inconsistent enforcement, deference to government removal requests, and reliance on automated moderation tools, leading to an adverse impact on freedom of expression for Palestinian voices.

Despite Meta’s acknowledgment of past overreach and commitments to improve content moderation, the report argues that recent practices reflect a failure to uphold these promises. It calls for Meta to align its policies with international human rights standards, particularly by revising its Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy. The report urges the company to enhance transparency regarding government content removal requests, improve its moderation practices, and collaborate with civil society to address the ongoing issues of content suppression related to Palestine.