BBC accuses Facebook of restricting war content in Palestinian territories
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A BBC investigation has revealed that Facebook significantly restricted the visibility of news from Palestinian territories during the ongoing Israel-Gaza war, raising concerns about potential bias in social media algorithms, Arab News reported.
Local news outlets in Gaza and the West Bank reported a dramatic decline in engagement on the platform, which coincided with a rise in visibility for Israeli media outlets.
The research, conducted by the BBC Arabic team, showed that 20 newsrooms in Gaza and the West Bank experienced a 77 per cent drop in audience engagement following the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023. In stark contrast, 20 Israeli news outlets, including major publications such as Yediot Ahronot and Israel Hayom, reported a 37 per cent increase in engagement for similar war-related content.
This disparity has amplified concerns about the fairness of content moderation on Facebook, particularly during a conflict where social media has become a critical information source. Restrictions on international journalists accessing Gaza due to Israeli-imposed limitations have heightened the reliance on local media and platforms like Facebook.
Meta, Facebook’s parent company, has faced accusations in the past of “shadow banning” content related to Palestine. An independent report commissioned by the company in 2021 attributed prior reductions in engagement to insufficient Arabic-speaking moderators, which led to some Arabic phrases being flagged as harmful. However, the latest investigation revealed that moderation practices during the current conflict may have been more targeted.
Internal communications reviewed by the BBC highlighted changes to Meta’s algorithm on Instagram shortly after the conflict began. These adjustments, described as making the platform’s moderation “more aggressive” towards Palestinian content, were allegedly reversed later, although Meta did not specify when. The company also stated that it increased moderation of Palestinian user comments due to a rise in hateful content but rejected allegations of deliberate bias.
The findings come amid reports of pro-Palestinian posts and accounts being suspended or banned, further raising concerns about unequal treatment. A parallel investigation by Arab News also found widespread suppression of such content during the conflict.
The conflict has had devastating consequences for journalists, with at least 144 media workers killed since its onset, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Of these, 133 were Palestinians, making this one of the deadliest conflicts for media professionals in history.