Social media companies have rejected accusations of shadowbanning their users for Palestine-related content during the Gaza, stating that the allegation that Big Tech Companies are “deliberately and systematically stifling a particular voice” is false.
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Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas that began in October, they have been accused of blocking specific content or users from their online communities.
For example, Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan accuses major platforms of shadowbanning content related to Palestine.
They have also been criticized for their overreliance on “automated content removal tools to restrict or translate content related to Palestine,” according to a Human Rights Watch on the subject.
Hussein Freijeh , Snapchat 's vice president for MENA , told CNBC's Dan Murphy at the Qatar Web Summit last week that these companies play " a very important role in the region ."
As an online battle between supporters of Palestine and Israel, platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook have become a key source for users seeking content and information about the conflict.
Foreign journalists are banned from reporting from the besieged Gaza Strip, blocking coverage by international media. Journalists have called on Israel to review access, arguing that reporting from the ground is “essential.”
See also: War in Gaza: Phishing campaign deceives victims with alleged donations
According to a 2023 UNESCO report, the Middle East is one of the youngest regions in the world, with young people in the Middle East and North Africa region gaining information from YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.
According to the OECD, more than half of the population (55%) of the Middle East and North Africa is under 30 years old, and almost two thirds rely on social media for information.
A Human Rights Watch report on Meta 's alleged censorship , published in December 2023, concluded that “ the parent company of Facebook and Instagram has admittedly engaged in widespread suppression of Palestine-related content. ”
The document records over 1.000 “withdrawals” of content related to Palestine from the social media platforms Instagram and Facebook from over 60 countries between October and November 2023, for’ this they are accused of Shadowban.
A Meta spokesperson denied the allegations, saying: “Our policies are designed to give everyone a voice while ensuring the security of our platforms. We readily acknowledge that we make mistakes that may be frustrating for people, but the suggestion that we are deliberately and systematically stifling any particular voice is false.”
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What is shadowban on social media?
Shadowban is a practice used by social networking platforms, where a user can continue posting, but those posts are not visible to the broader audience. This means their posts do not appear in searches or in other users' news feeds. Shadowban is typically used as a means to limit the spread of unwanted content, without informing the user that they have been blocked. This can include anything from the promotion of misleading information to the propagation of hate.
Source: cnbc
