Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, is considering banning the term “Zionist” when it appears to insult Jews or Israel (Shutterstock)
Meta confirmed on Friday that it is evaluating when the word "Zionist" should be considered hate speech against Israel, with anti-Semitism on the rise online amid the Israeli war on Gaza, according to Agence France-Presse.
The giant technology company that owns Facebook and Instagram confirmed what was published by the Washington Post that it is considering expanding its hate speech ban to include this term when it appears to be a bad alternative to the word “Jews” or “Israelis.”
A Meta spokesman said in response to an AFP inquiry: “Given the increasingly polarized public discourse due to events in the Middle East, we believe it is important to evaluate our guidance for reviewing posts that use the term Zionist.” He added, "While the term Zionist often refers to a person's faith...it can also be used to refer to the Jewish or Israeli people."
Meta's policy prohibits attacks on people on the basis of religion or nationality, which means that the company faces the challenge of discrimination when the word "Zionist" refers to a faith or group of people, according to the Frenchman. Meta is working to improve how it applies hate speech bans to posts containing the word, according to the company.
Amnesty International researcher and consultant Alia Al-Ghoussein said Meta must be careful that its content policies are not biased against pro-Palestinian voices speaking out against the war.
Al-Ghoussein added in a statement that imposing a comprehensive ban on criticizing “Zionism” or “Zionists” on Meta platforms would restrict the freedom of expression of those trying to draw attention to “the horrific crimes committed by Israeli forces in Gaza.”
Regarding the internal review conducted by Meta, Al-Ghoussein noted, “This proposed review is particularly worrying given the current bad situation in the Gaza Strip.”
Source: French