Oversight Board asks Meta not to automatically remove pro-Palestine phrase

In reviewing three cases involving different pieces of Facebook content containing the phrase “From the River to the Sea,” Meta‘s Oversight Board finds they did not break Meta’s rules on Hate Speech, Violence and Incitement or Dangerous Organizations and Individuals. Specifically, the three pieces of content contain contextual signs of solidarity with Palestinians – but no language calling for violence or exclusion. They also do not glorify or even refer to Hamas, an organization designated as dangerous by Meta. In upholding Meta’s decisions to keep up the content, the majority of the Board notes the phrase has multiple meanings and is used by people in various ways and with different intentions. A minority, however, believes that because the phrase appears in the 2017 Hamas charter and given the October 7 attacks, its use in a post should be presumed to constitute glorification of a designated entity, unless there are clear signals to the contrary. These three cases highlight tensions between Meta’s value of voice and the need to protect freedom of expression, particularly political speech during conflict, and Meta’s values of safety and dignity to protect people against intimidation, exclusion and violence, the Board said. The current and ongoing conflict that followed the Hamas terrorist attack in October 2023 and Israel’s subsequent military operations has led to protests globally and accusations against both sides for violating international law. Equally relevant is the surge in antisemitism and Islamophobia not only to these cases but also general use of “From the River to the Sea” on Meta’s platforms. These cases have again underscored the importance of data access to effectively assess Meta’s content moderation during conflicts, as well as the need for a method to track the amount of content attacking people based on a protected characteristic. The Board’s recommendations urge Meta to ensure its new Content Library is an effective replacement for CrowdTangle and to fully implement a recommendation from the BSR Human Rights Due Diligence Report of Meta’s Impacts in Israel and Palestine.