Free speech is a fundamental human right that is often touted as one of the core values of democracy and the internet. However, for many pro-Palestine activists and supporters, free speech is a myth that is constantly challenged and violated by social media platforms such as Meta (formerly Facebook), Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. These platforms have been in the past, and still ding, the censoring, suppressing, and removing of pro-Palestine content and accounts, especially during these times of genocide in Gaza by Israel, started on October 7, 2023.
Examples of Social Media Censorship of Pro-Palestine Content
There are numerous examples of how social media platforms have targeted and silenced pro-Palestine voices in recent years. Some of the most prominent ones are:
- The Instagram account @eye.on.palestine, which had more than 6 million followers and posted images and videos from Gaza, was locked by Meta on October 26, 2023, for “security reasons” after signs of compromise were detected. The backup account @eye.on.palestine2 was also locked. The accounts were later restored after a public outcry and criticism.
- The journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin said that his Instagram account, which had more than 100,000 followers and was posting frequently about Palestine, was permanently banned on October 18, 2023, with little explanation. He said that Meta is stifling Palestinian voices in times of Gaza-genocide.
- The Israeli Attorney General’s Office sent approximately 9,500 requests since October 7, 2023, to Meta and TikTok, to remove content related to Israel’s genocide in Gaza. According to a report by Forbes, over 90% of pro-Palestinian content was deleted by the platforms in response to these requests.
- Twitter suspended dozens of Palestinian and pro-Palestine accounts on October 29, 2020, a day after an Israeli ministry report into “phony” online profiles that criticized Israel. The accounts included those of journalists, activists, and academics. The suspension was denounced as a form of censorship and discrimination by Palestinian digital rights groups.
- In May 2021, during Israel’s assault on Gaza that killed more than 250 Palestinians, including 66 children, Meta and Instagram users reported that their posts and stories supporting Palestine were removed, reduced in reach, or marked as sensitive or false information. Some users also found that their profiles were auto-translated to include the word “terrorist” when they had the Palestinian flag emoji or the word “alhamdulillah” (praise be to God) in Arabic on their bios. Meta apologized for these issues and blamed them on technical glitches or errors in moderation.
- In December 2020, a study by Sada Social Centre, a Palestinian NGO that monitors social media content related to Palestine, found that pro-Palestinian posts had been suppressed by as much as 80 per cent on Meta, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. The study analyzed more than 800,000 posts and found that 20 per cent of them were deleted, restricted, or flagged by the platforms. The study also documented more than 1,000 cases of accounts being suspended, blocked, or deactivated for posting pro-Palestine content.
- In November 2020, Meta deleted the page of Quds News Network, a Palestinian news outlet with more than 6.3 million followers, without any prior notice or explanation. The page was later restored after a widespread backlash and condemnation from journalists, activists, and human rights groups. Meta said that the page was removed by mistake and apologized for the inconvenience.
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The Impact and Implications of Social Media Censorship of Pro-Palestine Content
The censorship and suppression of pro-Palestine content and accounts on social media platforms have serious and negative impacts on the freedom of expression, information, and opinion of millions of people around the world. These impacts include:
- Violating the basic human rights of Palestinians and their supporters who use social media as a tool to document, expose, and resist the Israeli occupation, oppression, aggression and ethnic cleansing in Gaza. By censoring and silencing their voices, social media platforms are complicit in enabling and legitimizing the Israeli violations of international law and human dignity.
- Undermining the credibility and transparency of social media platforms as neutral and democratic spaces that respect and protect the diversity of views and perspectives. By applying double standards and biased policies that favor the Israeli narrative, agenda and propaganda, social media platforms are losing the trust and confidence of their users and stakeholders.
- Distorting and manipulating the public opinion and discourse on the Palestinian cause and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. By limiting the access and visibility of pro-Palestine content and accounts, social media platforms are contributing to the spread of misinformation, propaganda, and hate speech that demonize and dehumanize the Palestinian people and their struggle for justice, peace and freedom.
The Way Forward: How to Challenge and Resist Social Media Censorship of Pro-Palestine Content
The social media censorship and suppression of pro-Palestine content and accounts is a serious and ongoing challenge that requires collective and coordinated action from various actors and sectors. Some of the possible ways to challenge and resist this censorship are:
- Raising awareness and mobilizing public pressure on social media platforms to respect and uphold the basic human rights and freedoms of pro-Palestine users and content creators. This can be done through campaigns, petitions, boycotts, and protests that demand accountability and transparency from the platforms and their owners.
- Documenting and reporting the cases and incidents of social media censorship and suppression of pro-Palestine content and accounts. This can be done through platforms and initiatives such as Sada Social Centre, 7amleh, the Arab Center for Social Media Advancement, and Palestine Online, which monitor and expose the violations and abuses of social media platforms against pro-Palestine users and content creators.
- Supporting and amplifying the pro-Palestine voices and narratives on social media and beyond. This can be done through following, sharing, and engaging with pro-Palestine content and accounts, creating and disseminating alternative and independent media sources and outlets, and joining and building solidarity networks and movements that advocate for the Palestinian cause and rights.
Conclusion
Free speech is a myth for many pro-Palestine activists and supporters who face censorship and suppression from social media platforms that claim to champion this value. This censorship violates the basic human rights of Palestinians and their supporters, undermines the credibility and transparency of social media platforms, and distorts and manipulates the public opinion and discourse on the Palestinian cause and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. To challenge and resist this censorship, it is necessary to raise awareness and mobilize public pressure on social media platforms, document and report the cases and incidents of censorship, and support and amplify the pro-Palestine voices and narratives on social media and beyond.
