Meta Allegedly Attempts To Silence Pro-Palestine Voices, NGO Claims
American multinational technology conglomerate Meta is allegedly targeting journalists and pro-Palestine voices speaking on the conflict in Gaza by attempting to silence them on social media, an NGO reported.
Major journalists reporting both within and outside of Palestine have seemingly been targeted by attempted censorship, popular human rights agency Human Rights Watch (HRW) documented.
It claimed that there is “systemic and global online censorship”.
In a report documenting censored accounts, HRW found that between October and November 2023, there had been over 1,050 takedowns and other suppression of content on Instagram and Facebook that had been posted by Palestinians and their supporters, including about human rights abuses.
“Of the 1,050 cases reviewed for this report, 1,049 involved peaceful content in support of Palestine that was censored or otherwise unduly suppressed, while one case involved removal of content in support of Israel,” the summary of the report reads.
However, this report received criticism from Israeli technology news site Calcalistech which stated that the report’s “conclusions rest on an unreliable foundation”.
“Such a study is not easy to carry out because Meta does not in principle make accessible information that can be edited. In addition, the methodology that the HRW researchers chose to apply is very problematic. Instead of developing a method for independent collection of posts, the organization chose to base itself on a public appeal to the public to report by email cases in which Meta censored content that did not deserve to be censored,” the organisation continued.
Motaz Azaiza and Shaun King are two popular public watchdogs who have been sharing raw images and footage from Gaza. The posts are tragic, detailed, and uncensored with an aim to show the world what is going on within the land.
However, King’s Instagram, which had around six million followers, was reportedly deactivated earlier today after weeks of warnings from Meta and appeals against the removal of several of his posts.
A lot of these posts were removed by the platform on the grounds of false information, however, after appealing, his posts were reinstated which King stated attests to the accuracy of the information. He had also pledged to take a softer approach in order to not lose the platform which helped him raise awareness.
King is specifically critical of the US, often lambasting the amount of weapons sent by the American government to Israel and holding the US partly responsible for the destruction in Gaza.
Moreover, according to a video posted by King on another Instagram account, he alluded to being banned for supporting Yemen’s Houthi rebels who are attacking ships in the Red Sea and will continue to do so until Israel stops bombing Gaza.
The group has attacked numerous vessels passing through the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a narrow passageway leading into the Red Sea and further on to the Suez Canal.
The Red Sea and Suez Canal account for 30% of the world’s container ship traffic.
There have been no injuries or deaths reported from Houthi attacks on these ships but the effects on global shipping have been felt.
At least 12 shipping companies have suspended transit through the Red Sea over the attacks, among them some of the world’s largest: the Italian-Swiss giant Mediterranean Shipping Company, France’s CMA CGM, and Denmark’s AP Moller-Maersk.
Meanwhile, around 12% of the world’s seaborne oil as well as 8% of liquified natural gas passes through the Bab al-Mandeb strait, mainly headed towards Europe. Other items like grain, palm oil, and manufactured goods are also affected by these actions.
Several companies have since changed their routes by travelling around the southern tip of Africa, extending their journeys by around nine days and costs by an estimated 15%, Al Jazeera reported.
In the video, King claimed that Meta said he was removed for supporting dangerous organisations. He fervently criticised this decision calling it foolish and stating that Yemen is not dangerous, Israel is. He further alleged that Meta is attempting to stand in the way of people fighting for human rights and their lives.
Moreover, Azaiza is a Palestinian journalist working in Gaza sharing his and others’ experiences since the relentless bombardment began.
However, his posts are also being targeted with recent Instagram warnings claiming that a number of his posts go against guidelines on sexual activities or nudity.
“Am I shooting Nudes or what?” he captioned a post of screenshots of the warnings.
“A lot of naked girls keep posting on Instagram which is (normal for them) and I don’t see them removing any of their content! But showing what kids of Palestine are facing in Gaza is nudity and sexual activity? Tell me if I’m right or wrong.”
“I’m not surprised at all. But what surprised me is calling this nudity and sexual activity,” he continued by commenting on the post.
“WTF they stopped using (graphics) and now using nudity. Like am a hub !!” he concluded, alluding to the possibility that the warnings of other posts went against guidelines on posts with graphic violence.
READ NEXT: 2023 Expected To Be Historic Year For Malta’s Tourism, Welcoming At Least Three Million Tourists
