LONDON: US Senator Elizabeth Warren has sought clarification from Mark Zuckerberg on allegations that Meta is censoring pro-Palestine content across its platforms.
In a letter co-signed by more than 90 human rights and civil rights organizations, Warren referred to media reports and concerns about Meta’s handling of Palestine-related material in October.
She wrote that that “amid the horrific Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel … it is more important than ever that social media platforms do not censor truthful and legitimate content.”
Warren also highlighted the need for social media platforms at times when online communities play a pivotal role in sharing information about regional developments.
The letter underscored concerns over Meta’s actions, including censorship, removal, and mistranslation of content.
Citing an October report from the Wall Street Journal, the letter revealed that Meta had implemented a “temporary risk response measure,” resulting in an increased frequency of flagging posts related to Palestine.
Unlike Meta’s usual practice of suppressing content when there is an 80 percent certainty that it is inflammatory, the threshold was lowered to 25 percent in the weeks following the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.
Many users experienced Instagram restrictions or deleted posts about Palestine without clear explanation, and some faced complete account suspensions, which Meta attributed to glitches in its systems.
Warren’s letter sought details on Meta’s content moderation methods, and requested examples over the past five years where the company altered the content moderation threshold for a specific country, along with the corresponding count of posts removed.
The senator expressed concern, saying that “reports of Meta’s suppression of Palestinian voices raise serious questions about Meta’s content moderation practices and anti-discrimination protections.”
She added: “Social media users deserve to know when and why their accounts and posts are restricted, particularly on the largest platforms where vital information-sharing occurs.”
Since the Oct. 7 attack, Meta’s Instagram has faced multiple accusations of censorship, shadow banning, or account suspension due to users posting pro-Palestinian content.
