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Meta has updated its hate speech policy to ban posts that use the term ‘Zionist’ in a dehumanizing manner or to call for violence against Jews or Israelis.
This policy change aims to combat the use of ‘Zionist’ as a proxy for hate speech targeting Jewish people and Israelis. The decision has been widely praised by various organizations and individuals for recognizing and addressing the misuse of the term ‘Zionist’ as a form of antisemitism.
The update comes in response to increasing concerns about the rise in online antisemitic rhetoric, where the term ‘Zionist’ is often used to mask blatant hate speech. By implementing this policy, Meta seeks to create a safer and more inclusive online environment for Jewish and Israeli users.
The move has been commended by numerous advocacy groups, including the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the American Jewish Committee (AJC), which have long campaigned for social media platforms to take stronger stances against antisemitism.
Critics of the policy change argue that it could stifle legitimate political discourse about Israel and Zionism. However, Meta has clarified that the policy does not aim to silence criticism of Israeli government policies or the political ideology of Zionism but to prevent the term from being weaponized to incite hate and violence.
Bad news for the Jew haters. @Meta has updated its hate speech policy and will ban posts in which the word “Zionist” is used in a dehumanizing manner or used to call for violence against Jews or Israelis.
Facebook and Instagram will remove content that targets Zionists with…
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) July 9, 2024
Meta is now banning attacks on Zionists under their hate speech policy
This applies for both Facebook and Instagram
— Jake Shields (@jakeshieldsajj) July 9, 2024
BREAKING: From today, under Meta’s new hate speech policy, content targeting Zionists with claims about running the world, controlling the media, dehumanization, calls for harm, or denials of existence will be removed.
Every social network should follow:https://t.co/F9tINYVayP
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) July 9, 2024
META (FB and IG) will now classify the word “zionist” as antisemitic speech and as a tier 1 hate speech. Basically anyone criticizing the state of Israel and its zionist ideology will get zucced by the AI. pic.twitter.com/2qyIzqrXWf
— Dispropaganda (@Dispropoganda) July 9, 2024
