Human Rights Watch has released a report documenting Meta’s systemic censorship of Palestine-related content on its platforms, Instagram and Facebook. The report, titled “Meta’s Broken Promises: Systemic Censorship of Palestine Content on Instagram and Facebook,” highlights the company’s flawed policies, inconsistent enforcement, overreliance on automated tools, and undue government influence, all of which have contributed to the silencing of pro-Palestine voices.

The report cites 1,050 cases of censorship from over 60 countries, demonstrating a pattern of removing, suspending, or deleting accounts, restricting interactions, limiting features, and shadow banning users who express support for Palestine or discuss human rights abuses against Palestinians. These actions have further compounded the suffering of Palestinians already facing atrocities and repression.

Meta’s “Dangerous Organizations and Individuals” (DOI) policy has been particularly problematic, as it has been applied sweepingly to restrict legitimate speech about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The policy has also been misapplied to remove content that is newsworthy and has public interest value.

Meta’s history of censorship against Palestine-related content is well documented. In 2021, Human Rights Watch reported on Facebook’s censorship of discussions about human rights issues pertaining to Israel and Palestine. An independent investigation commissioned by Meta itself found that the company’s content moderation had an adverse impact on the rights of Palestinian users.

Despite these warnings and recommendations, Meta has failed to meet its human rights responsibilities. The company’s broken promises and inadequate responses to previous criticisms have only exacerbated the problem.

To address its failings, Meta must align its content moderation policies with international human rights standards. Decisions to remove content should be transparent, consistent, and not overly broad or biased. Protected expression, including about human rights abuses and political movements, should be permitted on the platforms.

Specifically, Meta should overhaul its DOI policy to ensure it is consistent with international human rights standards. It should audit its “newsworthy allowance” policy to prevent the removal of content in the public interest and ensure equitable and non-discriminatory application. Due diligence must be conducted on the human rights impact of its recommendation algorithms.

“Instead of tired apologies and empty promises, Meta should demonstrate that it is serious about addressing Palestine-related censorship once and for all by taking concrete steps toward transparency and remediation,” Brown said.