NASHVILLE, TENN. – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) is pressing Meta executives Mark Zuckerberg and Adam Mosseri over reports that their platforms are unfairly censoring pro-Israel content.
Meta Claims They Are Not Suppressing Pro-Israel Content Or Boosting Pro-Hamas Content
“In October 2023, Meta introduced measures to limit “potentially unwelcome or unwanted comments” on posts about the conflict between Israel and Hamas. These measures aimed to balance the tension between presumably good faith efforts to ensure decency on its platforms and protect its user’s right to freedom of speech. In this pursuit, Meta stated its “policies are designed to keep people safe on [its] apps while giving everyone a voice.” To ensure this, Meta vowed to “apply these policies equally around the world,” clarifying that “there is no truth to the suggestion that [it is] deliberately suppressing voice.”
Tennesseans Have Reported Instances Of Censorship Or Removal Of Their Pro-Israel Content
“However, multiple Tennesseans have expressed just the opposite to me: that Meta is censoring their entirely unobjectionable content, which happens to be pro-Israeli. I am thus concerned that Meta’s content moderation policies are not being applied consistently and that, as a result, the company is making it harder to post pro-Israel content on its platforms through its use of algorithmic and content moderation tools.”
Blackburn Wants Answers On What Posts Pertaining To The Conflict Have Been Suspended Or Removed
“I am deeply concerned about the anti-Israeli sentiment held by some in the United States and the recent uptick in anti-Semitism around the world. It is important that users on Meta’s platforms are able to view content that has not been selected to reaffirm biases or support a particular narrative as this conflict unfolds.”
A copy of the letter can be found here.