NGO: Over 63 violations against Palestinian digital content documented in July

Occupied Palestine (QNN)- Sada Social Center said it had documented at least 63 violations against Palestinian digital content during the past month, noting that these violations were distributed among the majority of global social media platforms.

Once again, Facebook ranks first in suppressing Palestinian content, said the group in its montly report issued on Monday, as 50 violations were documented by the social media giant in July.

3 other violations were also documented on Instagram, 5 on Tik Tok, 3 on YouTube, and 2 on Twitter, Sada Social said.

These platforms mainly affected the content and accounts that dealt with the Palestinian situation and the ongoing violations of the Israeli occupation.

The Center stressed that these platforms continue its suppression against the Palestinian content and narrative, adding the platforms deleted/deactivated accounts of at least 17 journalists, the last violation against journalists was documneted against Hisham Abu Shaqra, a Palestinian videographer based in the West Bank and Anadolu Agency cameraman.

Moreover, the Center pointed out to Israel’s systematic policy of silencing Palestinian students in academic institutions, referring to the undercover special unit of the Israeli police who arrested Maryam Abu Qwaider, a Palestinian pharmacy students at Israel’s Ben Gurion University, on May 12 during a vigil honoring Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, over her Facebook posts.

On May 19, the Israeli Central Court extended Maryam Abu Qwaider’s detention an additional four days. On May 22, her detention was commuted to a 2-week house arrest with a ban on engaging with social media.

On July 26, Israel’s Shin Bet and the Israeli police claimed that Abu Qwaider published 10 social media posts expressing “incitement or sympathy with a terrorist organization,” extending her house arrest again with a ban on using the Internet and social media.

It is noteworthy that Sada Social Center is a Palestinian digital rights organisation launched in 2017 to protect Palestinian narratives on social media platforms.

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.