Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren is the newest public determine to question how Meta is moderating content material through the Israel-Hamas warfare. In a letter addressed to Mark Zuckerberg, Warren raises a number of points reported by Instagram customers since October 7, and presses Meta for extra details about its underlying insurance policies and the way a lot content material the corporate has taken down associated to the battle.
Within the letter, Warren cites reviews from the media and human rights teams about inconsistencies within the firm’s moderation practices because the begin of the warfare. Specifically, she notes that quite a few Instagram customers have accused the corporate of “shadowbanning” them for posting in regards to the situations in Gaza. She additionally references a third-party audit, commissioned by Meta and printed final yr, that discovered the corporate violated Palestinians’ proper to free expression in 2021, the final time there was a significant escalation in violence within the Gaza Strip.
“Stories of Meta’s suppression of Palestinian voices elevate critical questions on Meta’s content material moderation practices and anti-discrimination protections,” Warren writes. “Social media customers need to know when and why their accounts and posts are restricted, notably on the most important platforms the place important information-sharing happens.”
The letter asks for detailed details about how Meta is implementing its insurance policies within the context of the warfare. For instance, it asks Meta to reveal statistics in regards to the variety of posts which were eliminated since October 7, and what number of of these takedowns have been appealed. It additionally asks Meta to explain reports that the corporate hid quite a few Instagram feedback with Palestinian flags for being “doubtlessly offensive.”
The letter offers Zuckerberg a January 5 deadline to answer the questions. Meta didn’t reply to a request for remark.
Meta has come underneath rising scrutiny for its moderation practices since October 7. The corporate has publicly blamed a number of points on unspecified technical glitches and bugs, however has additionally acknowledged taking non permanent emergency measures to sluggish the unfold of doubtless dangerous content material.
Meta’s impartial Oversight Board can also be fast-tracking two circumstances associated to the Israel-Hamas warfare content material, the primary time the group has opted to expedite its standard months-long course of. The board stated on the time it had seen a surge in appeals from Fb and Instagram customers because the begin of the battle.
This text initially appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/elizabeth-warren-is-demanding-more-transparency-from-meta-on-how-its-handling-content-about-palestine-on-instagram-220226606.html?src=rss
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