In an aerial view, people gather in front of a sign posted at Meta headquarters on July 07, 2023 in Menlo Park, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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Meta clamps down on violent, misleading Israel-Gaza posts
The parent company of Facebook and Instagram announced new measures to crack down on misinformation and violent content as the Israel-Hamas conflict escalates.
The tech giant said it has established a “special operations center” with experts to monitor the situation and remove content that violates its policies more quickly.
Meta is tapping experts fluent in Hebrew and Arabic to assess if content violates its policies on dangerous organizations and individuals, violent and graphic materials, and hate speech, among others.
The company said it already removed or flagged more than 795,000 pieces of content in those langauges.
Meta also reiterated that Hamas, the Palestinian militant group behind last weekend’s attacks on Israel, is banned from Facebook and Instagram under its dangerous organizations and individuals policy.
“We want to reiterate that our policies are designed to give everyone a voice while keeping people safe on our apps,” Meta said.
Meta’s crackdown comes as tech platforms and regulators contend with a flood of violent content and misinformation related to the conflict in Israel and Gaza.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg received a letter from the European Union just days ago urging his company to be “very vigilant” about removing “illegal content” and disinformation.
While Meta drew mild concern from the EU, European regulators are far more worried about X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
The EU announced Thursday it would investigate X over its handling of “terrorist and violent content and hate speech” related to the conflict in Israel and Gaza.
Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter, we’re Julia Shapero and guest author Sylvan Lane — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley.
Microsoft’s $69 billion deal to buy video game developer Activision Blizzard cleared its final hurdle Friday after receiving approval from British regulators.
Federal prosecutors said in a sentencing memo Thursday that hackers hired by an Israeli private investigator stole communications between climate activists that were later used in court by Exxon Mobil Corp. In the memo, attorneys with the Southern District of New York said Aviram Azari, the defendant in the case, paid for the services of mercenary hackers who targeted emails between activists that were later leaked to the press. …
GM’s recent concession to the United Auto Workers (UAW) union on electric vehicles (EVs) marks a victory for renewable energy proponents, countering the idea that the EV transition inherently conflicts with labor interests. The automaker’s agreement last week to place EV battery plants under its master agreement with the UAW represents a major step toward what union President Shawn Fain has called a “just …
News we’ve flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics:
Google experiments with Discover Feed
Google is experimenting with adding a Discover Feed — featuring news headlines, weather forecasts, sports scores and stock information — to its desktop homepage, The Verge reported.
Communities on X gain member vetting feature
Communities on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, can now vet new members by requiring them to answer questions before gaining access, TechCrunch reported.
In Other News
Branch out with other reads on The Hill:
Refrigeration chemicals are a nightmare for the climate. Experts say alternatives must spread fast
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — When Jennifer Byrne, owner and technician at Comfy Heating and Cooling, gets a call to come and fix a relatively new air conditioning system, one of the first questions she asks is if the house has just been remodeled. Here in West Philadelphia, Byrne has found shoddy renovations …
Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) got in a heated exchange with an activist over Israel — and his holding of a baby — on Friday in one of the House office … Read more
President Biden on Friday said the terrorist group Hamas, which brutally attacked Israel last weekend, is worse than al Qaeda, the organization behind … Read more
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