Sada Social Center, which specializes in protecting Palestinian narratives on social media platforms, monitored a major escalation against Palestinian content by the Facebook administration, which specifically targeted media pages and journalists’ accounts for covering the events in occupied Jerusalem.
In a new campaign against the Palestinian content, Facebook administration has closed and removed dozens of Palestinian pages and accounts belonging to media organizations and journalists. This campaign constitutes a flagrant violation of the principles of freedom of expression and journalistic work, and the right of the Palestinian public to access information based on sources and platforms they trust and doesn’t adopt the Israeli narrative hostile to its rights, which seeks to cover up the war crimes committed by the occupation.
The systematic violations by Facebook, which amount to an attempt to block Palestinian content, came at the end of a year considered the worst in terms of Facebook policies related to Palestine. Since the beginning of the year, there have been more than 600 violations against the Palestinian content by Facebook and Instagram, accounts, and pages, including more than 200 violations against media pages and journalists’ accounts.
In addition to the continued threats directed by Facebook against Palestinian users to close and delete their accounts, under the pretext of the necessity to comply with its biased standards against the Palestinians and their rights.
Despite the Facebook administration’s admission that it committed unjustified violations of Palestinian content, especially with regard to occupied Jerusalem and its events last May, its policy still adopts the same unfair and biased standards of the Israeli occupation on the matter.
What reinforces the concerns about the orientations of the Facebook administration regarding Palestine is the approval of platform’s representatives in several meetings with institutions concerned with digital rights in Palestine. Also, their adoption of an American list accusing most Palestinian parties and forces of terrorism. Besides, entering that list as a basic component in building the terminological lists and algorithms that constitute the basis for banning Palestinian content.
In addition to the data that Facebook accepts 90% of requests by the occupation authorities and the Israeli entities about Palestinian content, and the leaked lists of Palestinian terms and accounts banned on Facebook, which deserves an independent investigation, as it is related to the process of erasing information and facts about Israeli violations and crimes against the Palestinians, and preventing them from being documented or published.
Facebook administration’s continued availability of its platforms in the face of uncontrolled incitement by various Israeli parties against the Palestinians, and the adoption of standards against Palestinian content that satisfy this incitement, isn’t just a violation of the right of freedom of expression, and terms of use, but it’s considered to be a violation of the Palestinians’ rights in general. It’s also insulting to many users of this platform, especially in light of the increasing reports about the pattern of cooperation between Facebook and the Israeli occupation.
The review of policies, standards, and terminologies lists are no longer a sufficient measure to amend the damages caused and inflicted by Facebook policies on the Palestinians. It has become necessary to conduct an independent investigation into the file of violations and the policies of the Facebook administration, to reveal the arrangements it was involved in against the Palestinians, as a necessary introduction to subjecting Facebook and other policies from social networking sites and digital service platforms to human rights monitoring that ensures commitment to human rights.
Source: Palestinian News & Info Agency
