Meta’s Oversight Board says phrase ‘From the River to the Sea’ should not be banned

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New ruling Regarding the use of the phrase “Rivers to the Sea,” the committee determined that the phrase did not violate the platform’s policies on hate speech, violence, incitement, or dangerous organizations or individuals. The committee also stated in its ruling that the three flagged instances of use of the phrase highlight the need to provide more access to Facebook’s content library to qualified researchers, civil society organizations, and journalists who previously had access to CrowdTangle.

The ruling considered three pieces of Facebook content containing the phrase “From the River to the Sea,” a reference to the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea and considered by many to be a pro-Palestinian expression. The slogan is politically loaded and subject to a variety of interpretations and meanings. Some have called it “an anti-Semitic slogan often used in anti-Israel campaigns.” Others, like Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who was censured by the House of Representatives last year for using the phrase in a statement about the Israel-Gaza war, called it “an aspirational call for freedom, human rights and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction and hatred,” according to the House of Representatives. .

The committee determined that the phrase itself was not a “standalone phrase” that called for violence against or the elimination of any group, or blanket support for Hamas, and said it was “critically important” for the Meta platform to evaluate the context surrounding the phrase’s use when assessing users’ content.

“Because the phrase has no single meaning, a blanket ban on content containing the phrase, a default rule to remove such content, or use the phrase as a trigger for enforcement or review would impermissibly interfere with protected political speech,” the ruling read.

The committee also expressed concern about Meta’s decision to stop content investigations in August and called for greater transparency in the new system. CrowdStrike was a free investigative tool used by news organizations, researchers and other groups to learn about the spread of information on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.

Meta replaced Data Tools with the Meta Content Library, a much more tightly controlled data inspection system with much stricter access rules. The Content Library limits applicant access to those working at “qualified academic or qualified research institutions” working on “non-commercial endeavors.” .

The oversight committee recommended that Meta recruit qualified researchers, groups and journalists within three weeks of submitting its application. The committee also recommended that Meta “ensure that its content library is a suitable alternative to CrowdTangle,” according to the ruling.