Source: AFP
Independent watchdog Meta criticized the social media titan on Tuesday for removing posts that showed human suffering in the Middle East conflict.
The board, set up by Meta in 2020 as a high court for the social media titan, overturned two decisions to remove posts and urged the company to respond more quickly to changing conditions in the war between Hamas and Israel.
One case involved the removal from Instagram of a video showing what appeared to be the aftermath of a strike at or near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City during a ground offensive by Israel.
The video shows Palestinians, including children, being injured or killed, according to the board.
A second case involved Facebook’s decision to remove a video of an Israeli woman pleading with her captors not to kill her as she was taken hostage during Hamas raids in Israel on Oct. 7, the board said.
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“These decisions were very difficult to make,” Oversight Board Co-Chair Michael McConnell said in a statement.
“The council focused on protecting people’s right to freedom of expression on all sides about these horrific events, while ensuring that none of the testimony incited violence or hatred.”
The council urged Meta to preserve any removed posts that may contain evidence of human rights abuses.
Meta told the board that he temporarily lowered thresholds for automatic removal of posts with potentially harmful content after Hamas attacked Israel, according to supervisors.
The use of automated tools to moderate content on Facebook and Instagram increases the likelihood of removing posts that show the harsh reality of what is happening in the conflict, according to the board.
![](https://images.yen.com.gh/images/7f5bd0f41fadd392.jpg?impolicy=cropped-image&imwidth=256)
![](https://images.yen.com.gh/images/7f5bd0f41fadd392.jpg?impolicy=cropped-image&imwidth=256)
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“These testimonials are important not only to the speakers, but also to users around the world looking for timely and diverse information about groundbreaking events,” McConnell said.
“Some of which could be important evidence of possible serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.”
The supervisory board’s content decisions are binding, but its recommendations are not, according to Meta.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas has claimed many lives and is causing strong emotions around the world.
Social networks have been flooded with violent images along with fabricated content meant to misinform, in a challenge for online platforms.
In October, the European Union sent Meta a request for information on the spread of violent and terrorist content on its platforms.
Similar investigations are targeting TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, and X, formerly known as Twitter.
Source: AFP