Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Factions' statement: The attendees agreed to support and continue implementing the ceasefire agreement measures, including the withdrawal of the occupation and lifting the siege.
Factions' statement: Calling for an end to all forms of torture and violations against prisoners in occupation prisons and the necessity of obligating the occupation to do so.
Statement: The current moment is crucial, making the meeting a true turning point toward national unity in defense of our people and their right to life, dignity, and freedom.
Factions' statement: Call for an urgent meeting of all Palestinian forces and factions to agree on a national strategy.
Factions' statement: Continuing joint work to unify visions and positions to confront the challenges facing the Palestinian cause.
Statement of the factions: Emphasis on the unity of the Palestinian political system and the independent national decision.
Statement: Approval to establish an international committee to oversee the financing and implementation of the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
Statement: The committee is responsible for managing life and services in cooperation with Arab brothers and international institutions, based on transparency and accountability.
Resistance factions' statement: Agreement to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a temporary Palestinian committee of independent technocrats.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Two people martyred in the Israeli airstrike that targeted a vehicle in Toul.

Digital apartheid? Report exposes anti-Palestine social media bias

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Global Voices
  • 12 May 2025 10:50
  • 2 Shares
4 Min Read

From Gaza to global platforms, Palestinian voices are being shadowbanned, suspended, and erased, according to Sada Social’s new report.

Listen
  • x
  • Digital Apartheid? Report Exposes Social Media Bias Against Palestinians
    A majority of respondents reported censorship of content related to Gaza, Resistance, and solidarity campaigns (Illustrated by Al Mayadeen English)

As "Israel’s" war on Gaza intensified throughout 2024, Palestinian voices across global social media platforms have been met with a parallel campaign of digital repression. A newly released report by Sada Social, a Palestinian digital rights watchdog, exposes the widespread and systematic censorship targeting Palestinian content online.

Walid El Houri, West Asia & North Africa Editor at Global Voices, also reported extensively on the issue, highlighting the alarming scope of digital suppression as part of a broader effort to silence Palestinian narratives.

A targeted campaign?

The Digital Rights Index 2024, published in April, documents over 25,000 violations of Palestinian digital expression. These include content takedowns, shadow bans, account suspensions, and algorithmic suppression, coinciding with what the International Court of Justice has called a “plausible” case of genocide in Gaza.

According to the report, the most affected platforms were Instagram (31%), TikTok (27%), Facebook (24%), and X (12%). Smaller but notable cases were also recorded on platforms like YouTube and SoundCloud.

Sada Social found that Palestinian posts documenting airstrikes, mourning victims, or expressing solidarity were disproportionately targeted. Many users were permanently locked out of their accounts, often without explanation or due process.

“These actions have a profound impact on freedom of expression,” the report states, “particularly during wartime, when digital platforms serve as one of the few avenues for Palestinians to document atrocities and appeal to the world.”

Journalists and media outlets face systematic restrictions

Related News

Pro-Palestine protester disrupts finish at Tour de France

How 'Israel' targets critics with baseless terrorism allegations: RS

Alarmingly, 29% of the recorded violations impacted journalists and media outlets, with women journalists making up 20% of that group. Restrictions included post removals, visibility limits, and outright account bans, effectively silencing those reporting from Gaza and the West Bank.

International media often rely on Palestinian journalists for ground-level coverage. Censoring their voices not only erases Palestinian narratives but also compromises the global public's ability to stay informed about events on the ground.

The report also notes that suppression extended beyond wartime imagery. “Censorship wasn’t limited to images of massacres,” it explains, “but also extended to content related to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, even when devoid of political context.” Phrases such as “Death to Israel” and “Death to America” were among those flagged and removed, raising serious questions about digital editorial neutrality and freedom of expression.

Double standards in moderation and incitement

While Palestinian users face widespread moderation, the report highlights a disturbing double standard: incitement and hate speech against Palestinians often go unchecked, especially on platforms such as Telegram (41%) and X (35%).

Sada Social recorded over 87,000 instances of incitement in 2024, ranging from calls for ethnic cleansing to dehumanizing language. Much of this content, it says, originated from Israeli officials, soldiers, and influencers.

The report describes this as a reflection of “official policies aimed at gaining political and military advantages by promoting hate speech and manipulating global public opinion.” It also catalogs 51 recurring anti-Palestinian narratives designed to rationalize Israeli aggression and delegitimize pro-Palestinian activism and humanitarian work.

How algorithms enforce censorship beyond borders

A public opinion survey conducted by Sada Social among Palestinian communities both inside and outside occupied Palestine underscores the global nature of this repression. A majority of respondents reported censorship of content related to Gaza, Resistance, and solidarity campaigns.

Key findings include:

  • Facebook: 68.4% of users experienced restrictions
  • Instagram: 65.8%
  • TikTok: 36.2%
  • X: 14.5%

Most censored content categories:

  • Martyr commemorations (86.8%)
  • Documentation of "Israeli" aggression (60.5%)
  • Expressions of solidarity with Palestine (53.3%)
  • Mentions of resistance factions (51.3%)
  • Coverage of prisoners and detainees (45.4%)
  • Calls for boycott (32.9%)

These findings confirm that Palestinian digital censorship is not confined by geography, with users abroad facing similar restrictions as those inside Gaza and the West Bank.

Sada Social concludes that social media platforms are not neutral actors. In a context defined by occupation, apartheid, and asymmetrical warfare, the algorithms, reporting tools, and moderation policies of these platforms function as instruments of broader structural violence.

The organization calls on civil society, digital rights defenders, and international lawmakers to treat digital rights as integral to human rights, especially during war. For Palestinians, digital platforms remain among the few available spaces to mourn, document, and resist. But even these fragile avenues are now under threat by an expanding system of algorithmic repression.

  • Pro-Palestine stance
  • social media
  • Gaza genocide
  • censorship
  • Algorithms

Most Read

From previous scenes of the Qassam Brigades targeting an Israeli D9 bulldozer with a Yassin 105 shell, east of Deir al-Balah. (Military Media of the Qassam Brigades)

US knew fatal Rafah blast cause was not Hamas op., says journalist

  • Politics
  • 20 Oct 2025
'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

  • Technology
  • 24 Oct 2025
Abu Hamza, the spokesperson for the Al-Quds Brigades, during a speech televised on October 22, 2025 (Al-Quds Brigades Military Media)

Al-Quds Brigades' Abu Hamza mourns leaders, vows continued resistance

  • Politics
  • 22 Oct 2025
US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

  • Africa
  • 23 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Flags of Iran, Russia, and China (IRNA)
Politics

Russia, China, Iran send joint letter to IAEA on Resolution 2231 end

Rubio says UNRWA to play no role in Gaza aid deliveries
Politics

Rubio says UNRWA to play no role in Gaza aid deliveries

Tents are seen at UN school used as a shelter for displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis, Tuesday, September 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Politics

UN warns of 'lost generation' amid Gaza education crisis

x
Politics

White House pushes to repeal US sanctions on Syria: Report

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS