Thousands of activists on the Facebook and Instagram platforms have complained that their posts expressing support for Palestinians are being blocked or deleted on these social media platforms.
The American newspaper “The New York Times” reported that thousands of users posted messages in support of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, who have been displaced in the hundreds of thousands and have seen thousands killed and injured due to Israeli airstrikes, only to find that their posts were hidden or deleted.
Other activists have pointed out that their accounts were closed after calling for “peaceful protests across the United States” to support Gaza.
Artificial intelligence engineer Aya Omar, speaking to “The New York Times,” mentioned that she couldn’t access Palestinian media accounts that she regularly follows because Meta, the company that owns the two platforms, had banned her. She emphasized that this limits her ability to follow events in Gaza “from a single perspective.”
Meta defended itself, indicating that some posts were hidden due to “accidental error” in the company’s systems.
They emphasized, “This error affected accounts worldwide and had no relation to the content itself – and we fixed it quickly.”
They added, “At times, some posts may be temporarily blocked or hidden as the company takes action to address a large number of reports related to graphic content.”
The issue of content moderation and potential censorship on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram has been a topic of ongoing debate and concern. The recent complaints regarding the suppression of posts supporting Palestinians amid the conflict in Gaza highlight the challenges that platforms face in balancing freedom of expression with content guidelines. Meta’s response emphasizes addressing accidental errors and managing a high volume of content-related reports.
The situation also underscores the role of social media in shaping narratives and providing information during times of crisis.
