Technology
Friday, October 13th, 2023 1:43 pm EDT
Key Points
- Meta’s Response to the Israel-Hamas Conflict: Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is taking actions to combat violent posts and misinformation on its platforms in the context of the Israel-Hamas conflict. This move comes amid increased concerns about the spread of charged images and posts related to the conflict on social media.
- Pressure from European Regulators: Meta, along with other social media platforms, has faced pressure from European regulators to be vigilant in addressing misinformation during the conflict. This pressure is driven by the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which mandates that social media platforms monitor and remove illegal content in Europe.
- Specific Actions Taken by Meta: Meta has described its actions in a blog post, which includes the creation of a special operations center with experts proficient in Hebrew and Arabic. The company has already removed or labeled over 795,000 posts in Hebrew or Arabic that violated its policies related to violent and graphic content, hate speech, harassment, and the incitement of harm. Additionally, Meta has temporarily adjusted its content moderation technology, expanded its violence and incitement policy, and made certain Instagram hashtags unsearchable in response to consistent policy violations. Individuals who have previously violated Meta’s policies will face restrictions on using Facebook and Instagram Live.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is intensifying its efforts to combat violent posts and misinformation on its platforms, particularly in the context of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Under pressure from European regulators and the European Union’s Digital Services Act, which requires monitoring and removal of illegal content in Europe, Meta is taking several steps.
The company has established a special operations center with experts proficient in Hebrew and Arabic to address content related to the conflict. Since the conflict began, Meta has removed or labeled over 795,000 posts in Hebrew and Arabic that violated its policies, which include guidelines against violent and graphic content, hate speech, harassment, and the incitement of harm.
In response to the Hamas attack on Israel in early October, Meta reports that it removed significantly more content each day that violated its policy against dangerous organizations and individuals in Hebrew and Arabic. Hamas is banned from Meta platforms due to its designation as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government. While continuing to allow social and political discourse, Meta will remove praise and substantial support for the group under its policy.
Additionally, Meta has temporarily adjusted its content moderation technology to reduce the spread of potentially violating content, and it has expanded its violence and incitement policy to include the removal of posts that identify hostages, even if done for awareness-raising purposes. Certain Instagram hashtags consistently used in violation of policies will be made unsearchable, and individuals who have previously violated Meta’s policies will face restrictions on using Facebook and Instagram Live.
For full original article on CNBC, please click here: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/13/meta-says-its-stepping-up-safety-enforcement-during-israel-hamas-war.html
