Outrage following Meta censorship of content related to Ismail Haniyeh
Occupied Palestine (Quds News Network)- Social media users have complained about the censorship of any content featuring the name or image of Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political bureau of Hamas, who has been assassinated by Israel.
Following the announcement of Haniyeh’s murder this Wednesday morning in Tehran, Iran, many people quickly took to Facebook to mourn and eulogize him. However, moments after posting, they were surprised to find that Facebook demanded the removal of their posts, threatening penalties such as bans on posting or sharing content.
Do not stop talking about Palestine! Raise your voice for Palestine via META which is traumendically afraid of honoruble people as Haniyeh’s picture!! #MetaCencorship
— Bir okur (@_bir_okur_) July 31, 2024
Ismail Haniyeh fought fearlessly and was martyred with honor. Surely his blood is as precious as the blood of a Palestinian child! Let the META, which cannot even bear the photo of his dead body, know that we will not kneel down! #MetaCencorship
— İkbal 🍉💙 (@ikbl_akyzz) July 31, 2024
Do not stop talking about Palestine! Raise your voice for Palestine via META which is traumendically afraid of honoruble people as Haniyeh’s picture! #MetaCencorship pic.twitter.com/5aBfkJRChV
— Ahmet Faruk Asa (@AhmetFarukAsa) July 31, 2024
Supporters of the Palestinian cause have faced challenges with Facebook’s administration since Israel began its aggression on Gaza on October 7. Many posts showing solidarity with Gaza have been removed.
According to a study conducted by Social For Business Responsibility in 2022, Facebook and Instagram, both owned by the American company Meta, have demonstrated bias against Palestinian content. The study highlighted that the censorship of Palestinian content has harmed the fundamental human rights of Palestinian users.
Palestinian activists report that Meta targets Palestinian content by deleting posts, removing pages, and banning accounts without warning, and even suspending Palestinian news accounts including Quds News Network’s accounts. Meta denies these accusations, claiming that it is part of the work of their independent oversight board.
In late March, Meta’s oversight board called for an end to the blanket ban on content containing the word “martyr,” stating that the ban was “unnecessary and restricts freedom of expression.” This call followed widespread criticism of Meta’s handling of content related to the Palestinian cause and the events of Operation “Al-Aqsa Flood” on October 7.
