Unchecked online violence against Palestinians is fuelling genocidal violence and systemic discrimination

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Unchecked online violence against Palestinians is fuelling genocidal violence and systemic discrimination (English)?

Associate For Progressive Communication The surge in violent Hebrew content on social media has been substantial, though systematic violent content and hate speech against Palestinians predates October. From January to September 2023, 7amleh detected approximately 7 million instances of violent Hebrew content across various social media platforms, including Facebook which accounted for 24.57% of the violent content online. Facebook, operated by Meta, is one of the primary platforms where this violent content proliferates. Despite the vast spread of such content, Meta has yet to implement substantial measures or policy changes to address the rampant online violence against Palestinians, especially during the ongoing genocidal war on Gaza and its people.?

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Meta Accepts Key Oversight Board Recommendations to End Blanket Ban On “SHAHEED” (English)?

Oversight Board The Oversight Board welcomes Meta’s announcement today that it will implement the Board’s recommendations and introduce significant changes to an unfair policy that led to the censoring of millions of people across its platforms. The policy changes on how to moderate the Arabic word “shaheed” should have a swift impact on when content is removed, with a more nuanced approach ending a blanket ban on a term that Meta has acknowledged is one of the most over-enforced on its platforms. After an extensive Oversight Board review, which considered concerns that the policy may be contributing to censorship of those commenting on situations like the violence seen in conflict, including in Gaza and Sudan, the Board’s proposals showed that even in times of crisis, a more suitable and balanced approach was possible.

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YouTube’s Rulings on Gaza War Videos Spark Internal Backlash (English) Wired A month after Hamas militants from Gaza attacked an Israeli music festival last October, the Hebrew rap duo Ness & Stilla premiered “HarbuDarbu” on YouTube. The military hype song celebrates Israeli forces waging war in Gaza and has drawn over 25 million views; its critics have termed the song a violent and hateful anti-Palestinian “genocide anthem.” “One, two, shoot!” its refrain thunders. Despite demands from employees and activists for its removal, “HarbuDarbu” has been allowed to stay up on YouTube. Crucially, YouTube determined that the song’s violent rhetoric targets Hamas, not Palestinians as a whole, and that as a US-labeled terrorist organization Hamas can be subject to hate speech without penalty.

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Investigation 'reveals' mysterious figure behind massive pro-Israel disinfo network (English)?

New arab A tech entrepreneur living in Florida is the key player behind a vast pro-Israel disinformation network seeking to shape public opinion about Israel's war on Gaza in the Anglosphere, an investigation by The Guardian has found. The investigation unmasked Daniel Linden, who has previously co-written a guidebook for users of the pornographic website OnlyFans, as one of the prime movers in the “Shirion Collective”, an organisation that has harassed pro-Palestinian activists, including Jewish ones. The group also offers cash payments for anyone who can publicly reveal the online identities of those supporting the Palestinian cause.