Amnesty Says Meta Policies Fuel Genocide
Gaza (Quds News Network)- Meta’s latest content policies could lead to mass violence and even genocide, Amnesty International has warned in a news report. The company has already played a role in past atrocities, including the 2017 atrocities against the Rohingya in Myanmar. A new whistleblower complaint, filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), accuses Meta of disregarding human rights and misleading shareholders about its role in fueling violence.
On January 7, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced major changes to the company’s content policies. They include lifting bans on hate speech and harassment targeting racial minorities. Meta is also scaling back automated content moderation, a move that will increase the spread of harmful content. While these changes currently apply only to the US, Meta has indicated they may expand worldwide.
Human rights advocates fear these decisions will worsen online hate speech. A former Meta employee told Platformer, “I really think this is a precursor for genocide. Real people’s lives are actually going to be endangered.”
Meta’s algorithms have a history of amplifying harmful content. Amnesty International and other organizations have documented how Facebook fueled anti-Rohingya hate speech in Myanmar. In 2017, this online rhetoric contributed to mass violence, including killings and forced displacements. A 2018 UN investigation found Myanmar’s military should be tried for genocide, and that Facebook played a key role in spreading incitement.
Despite these findings, Meta has refused to take full responsibility. Rohingya communities have requested compensation, including funding for education programs in refugee camps. Meta, which earned $134 billion in 2023, rejected a $1 million request—just 0.0007% of its annual profits.
Meta also has been practicing digital censorship against Palestinian users. The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media (7amleh) released a report titled Erased and Suppressed: Palestinian Testimonies of Meta’s Censorship. The report documents 20 cases of Palestinian journalists and influencers facing content removals, account suspensions, and restricted reach. These actions have had financial, social, and political consequences.
According to 7amleh’s research, more than 15 million social media posts in Hebrew inciting violence against Palestinians have gone unmoderated since October 2023. Meanwhile, Palestinian content is being systematically suppressed.
On January 23, 2025, Amnesty International, along with the Open Society Justice Initiative and Victim Advocates International, filed a whistleblower complaint with the SEC. The complaint states that Meta ignored multiple warnings between 2013 and 2017 about its platform’s role in inciting violence against the Rohingya. It also accuses the company of misleading investors about the risks associated with its content policies.
