NGO: 425 violations against Palestinian digital content documented in first half of 2022
Facebook ranks first in suppressing Palestinian content, with 273 violations documented by the social media giant in the first half of 2022
Occupied Palestine (QNN)- Sada Social Center said it had documented more than 425 digital violations against Palestinian digital content during the first half of 2022, due to the Israeli attempts at the official level to fight the Palestinian narrative.
Facebook ranks first in suppressing Palestinian content, said the group in a mid-year report, as 273 violations were documented by the social media giant in the first half of 2022.
For the first time, added the report, Clubhouse entered the war against Palestinian digital content, with at least 10 complaints received about attempts by the app to close audio rooms for Palestinian activists, especially during the events in occupied Jerusalem in the holy month of Ramadan.
60 other violations were also documented on WhatsApp, 30 on Instagram, 21 on Tik Tok, 14 on YouTube, and 12 on Twitter, Sada Social said.
The group said the bulk of violations against the Palestinian digital content on the social media ranged between removal of accounts and imposing restrictions on posting, especially when using certain terms and names associated with the political situation, which are classified within the ban algorithm, such as the Arabic words “occupation, Jenin camp, martyr, resistance” and others.
Meantime, the group said a survey it conducted in recent months and which included 195 activists and journalists, suggests that 97% of them have been subjected to digital violations due to content related to the Palestinian cause that they posted on their accounts.
It said 29% of the respondents were subjected to repeated violations more than 11 times, while 12% were subjected to repeated violations 6 to 10 times. In addition, about 43% of the respondents said they had their accounts breached by the social media platforms 3 to 5 times.
In 2020 only, the Center documented 1200 violations against Palestinian content, including 25 on Instagram, 10 on YouTube, 801 on Facebook, and 276 on Twitter.
However, in 2021, it documented 1593 violations against Palestinian content, including 174 on Instagram, 16 on YouTube, 853 on Facebook, and 445 on Twitter.
It is noteworthy that Sada Social Center is a Palestinian digital rights organisation launched in 2017 to protect Palestinian narratives on social media platforms.
