New York: Meta Platforms announced on Tuesday that it will lift its blanket ban on the word “shaheed”, or “martyr” in English, following a year-long review by its oversight board. The board found Meta’s previous approach to be overly restrictive.
Criticism of Meta has long centered around its content moderation policies, particularly concerning the Middle East. A 2021 study commissioned by Meta itself highlighted the adverse human rights impact on Palestinians and Arabic-speaking users due to its content policies.
Tensions escalated during the Israel-Hamas hostilities, prompting increased scrutiny. The oversight board, operating independently but funded by Meta, initiated the review last year. It found that “shaheed” was disproportionately targeted for content removal compared to other terms.
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Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, acknowledged the oversight board’s findings in March. It recognized that its previous rules failed to account for the diverse meanings of “shaheed”, often leading to unnecessary content removals not intended to glorify violence.
In response to the findings, Meta conducted internal tests and concluded that targeting “shaheed” in contexts involving violent content effectively captures harmful material while preserving legitimate discourse.
The oversight board welcomed Meta’s decision to revise its policy, stating that the previous approach had unnecessarily censored millions of users across its platforms.
