Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren is the most recent public determine to question how Meta is moderating content material in the course of 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 stories from the media and human rights teams about inconsistencies within the firm’s moderation practices for the reason that begin of the warfare. Specifically, she notes that quite a few Instagram customers have accused the corporate of “shadowbanning” them for posting concerning the circumstances in Gaza. She additionally references a third-party audit, commissioned by Meta and revealed final 12 months, 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.
“Studies 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 should know when and why their accounts and posts are restricted, notably on the most important platforms the place very important information-sharing happens.”
The letter asks for detailed details about how Meta is imposing its insurance policies within the context of the warfare. For instance, it asks Meta to reveal statistics concerning the variety of posts which have been 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 “probably 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 momentary emergency measures to gradual the unfold of probably dangerous content material.
Meta’s impartial Oversight Board can also be fast-tracking two instances associated to the Israel-Hamas warfare content material, the primary time the group has opted to expedite its regular months-long course of. The board stated on the time it had seen a surge in appeals from Fb and Instagram customers for the reason that 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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