Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, announced Tuesday an update to its policies on so-called “hate speech,” specifically users discussing “Zionists.”
The company’s social media platforms will begin removing posts that use the words “Zionism” or “Zionist” to refer to Jewish people or Israelis.
The updated policy will target those who mention Jews are found in prominent roles in financial, political, and media institutions.
Users who compare Zionists to animals or use the term to deny the Holocaust will also be punished under the new rules.
Perhaps using the power of the world’s most wealthy companies to silence your detractors isn’t the best way of convincing them you’re not secretly pulling the strings of the global elite.
Several X accounts celebrated the decision while others criticized the move as another attack on internet free speech.
This is HUGE!
As of today, @Meta will begin removing content that targets Zionists with antisemitic tropes, dehumanizing comparisons, calls for harm, or denials of existence.
Thank you Mark Zuckerberg for your leadership & standing up to hate online!https://t.co/NHL4KIJVNn pic.twitter.com/67Y6i6ZQa7
— Arsen Ostrovsky
(@Ostrov_A) 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
Breaking News – @Meta is taking a much needed step forward in combatting modern day antisemitism as it will now ban posts in which Jews are targeted with the alternative term “Zionist” when used in a dehumanizing way or “calls for harm” and/or “denials of existence”.
“Zionist”…
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) July 9, 2024
One X user wrote, “In other words, anyone who criticizes Israel will get banned. It seems like Zionists always need censorship or hate speech laws to protect them from words that are protected by the 1st amendment.”
Meta, which is Facebook and Instagram, will now classify the word “Zionist” as antisemitic hate speech in certain contexts.
In other words, anyone who criticizes Israel will get banned.
It seems like Zionists always need censorship or hate speech laws to protect them from words… pic.twitter.com/SfektMEeTj
— MIA (@_Mama_Mia10) July 9, 2024
Meta is BANNING the use of the term ‘ZIONIST’. This is bound to backfire. pic.twitter.com/3D4KRKcW8E
— Sabby Sabs (@SabbySabs2) July 9, 2024