Meta oversight board criticizes own censorships of Gaza-related posts

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
20 Dec 2023 01:04
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Meta was urged to preserve removed posts as potential evidence of human rights violations.

The Meta logo is seen at the Vivatech show in Paris, France, June 14, 2023. (AP)

Meta's independent oversight board has rebuked the social media giant for removing posts depicting human suffering in the war on Gaza.

Established by Meta in 2020 as a quasi-supreme court for the platform, the board overturned two decisions, including the removal of an Instagram video exposing the aftermath of a strike near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza during the Israeli ground invasion.

The video depicted injured or killed Palestinians, including children.

While several other videos of the sort are being discussed, oversight board co-chair Michael McConnell stated that these decisions were challenging. He claimed that the board is focused on protecting freedom of expression while preventing content that incites violence or hatred.

The board urged Meta to preserve removed posts that might serve as evidence of human rights violations.

Meta disclosed that it temporarily lowered thresholds for automatic removal of potentially harmful content in the aftermath of the October 7 operation.

The use of automated tools for content moderation was acknowledged to increase the likelihood of removing posts depicting the harsh reality of Israeli aggressions.

McConnell stressed the importance of these testimonies for users worldwide seeking diverse and timely information about significant events, potentially serving as crucial evidence of international human rights and humanitarian law violations.

While content decisions by the oversight board are binding, its recommendations are not.

Since the start of the Israeli-led genocide, social media platforms, including Meta, have faced challenges dealing with controlling the circulation of violent imagery and information related to the war.

In October, the European Union requested information from Meta regarding the dissemination of violent and terrorist content on its platforms.

Similar investigations are underway concerning TikTok (owned by ByteDance) and X (formerly known as Twitter).