TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Meta to pull posts targeting 'Zionists'

The latest update to Meta's policy regarding use of the word "Zionist" comes as the tech titan behind Facebook and Instagram strives to balance free speech with hateful attacks on Jews.

AFP
San Francisco, United States
Wed, July 10, 2024

Change text size

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Meta to pull posts targeting 'Zionists' Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, looks on during the US Senate Judiciary Committee hearing “Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis“ in Washington, DC, on January 31, 2024. (AFP/Brendan Smialowski)

Meta on Tuesday said it will start removing posts that label Jews "Zionists" and target them for harm.

The latest update to Meta's policy regarding use of the word "Zionist" comes as the tech titan behind Facebook and Instagram strives to balance free speech with hateful attacks on Jews.

"We will now remove content that targets 'Zionists' with dehumanizing comparisons, calls for harm, or denials of existence on the basis that 'Zionist' in those instances often appears to be a proxy for Jewish or Israeli people," Meta said in a blog post.

The change expands on Meta's approach of treating the reference as hate speech when it is used along with antisemitic imagery or clearly references the Jewish people.

Meta said it will remove content attacking "Zionists" when -- rather than being tied to that political movement -- it is pegged to antisemitic stereotypes such as claims they run the world or control the media.

Meta earlier this month said it is modifying its hate speech policy to take a more nuanced approach when it comes to whether the use of the Arabic word "shaheed," which is commonly translated as "martyr", is hate speech.

An independent oversight board referred to as a top court for Meta content moderation challenges had recommended the change and welcomed an easing of what has "effectively been a blanket ban" on the term "shaheed," according to board member Paolo Carozza.

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank you

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.

Share options

Quickly share this news with your network—keep everyone informed with just a single click!

Change text size options

Customize your reading experience by adjusting the text size to small, medium, or large—find what’s most comfortable for you.

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!

Generating Questionnaires

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
We appreciate your feedback.