Human rights group accuses Meta of restricting pro-Palestine speech

Human Rights Watch accused Meta of removing or restricting content supporting Palestine or Palestinian human rights even when it did not violate the social media giant’s rules. The report raises concerns about pro-Palestine content that was removed despite not violating any policies. The group calls on Meta to change or share more information about its policies and moderation decisions, including government takedown requests and exceptions for newsworthiness. Meta responded by stating that the report doesn’t reflect its efforts to protect speech related to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Meta’s handling of content related to the conflict has faced criticism in the past. Human Rights Watch also criticized Meta’s inclusion of Hamas in its Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy and called for reliance on international human rights standards. The report notes Meta’s reliance on automation for content moderation and mentions users’ pro-Palestine comments being removed automatically. The Oversight Board also called out Meta’s use of automated systems to moderate content. Meta restored videos related to the conflict that were initially removed by automated tools. Meta has established a special operations center and is coordinating with third-party fact checkers in the region.