Facebook speech policy change alarms UN
Move to allow certain expressions opens the door to hate speech against Russians, says rights body
The United Nations has expressed alarm over Facebook’s decision to temporarily ease its policy on violent speech after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, warning it could spark “hate speech” against Russians.
The policy decision from Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said the platforms would now allow statements like “death to Russian invaders” but not credible threats against civilians.
“This is clearly a very, very complex issue, but it does raise some concerns under the terms of human rights law and international humanitarian law,” UN rights office spokeswoman Elizabeth Throssell told reporters in Geneva.
In its statement Thursday, Meta pointed to the Russian invasion of Ukraine that began on Feb 24.
“We have temporarily made allowances for forms of political expression that would normally violate our rules like violent speech such as ‘death to the Russian invaders’,” it said.
It added that it “still won’t allow credible calls for violence against Russian civilians”.
Throssell warned that the new policy lacked clarity, which “could certainly contribute to hate speech directed at Russians in general”.
“That would be really concerning,” she said, adding that the UN rights office planned to raise its concerns with Meta.
“We may encourage them to look at certain harms that come with this change of policy,” she said.
Throssell acknowledged that the issue was legally complex and freedom of speech concerns also needed to be considered.
“In an ongoing conflict, seeking violence against those who are directly engaged in hostilities would likely not be prohibited speech,” she said.
“This needs more analysis from our side, and also more information from Meta.”
The policy decision from Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said the platforms would now allow statements like “death to Russian invaders” but not credible threats against civilians.
“This is clearly a very, very complex issue, but it does raise some concerns under the terms of human rights law and international humanitarian law,” UN rights office spokeswoman Elizabeth Throssell told reporters in Geneva.
In its statement Thursday, Meta pointed to the Russian invasion of Ukraine that began on Feb 24.
“We have temporarily made allowances for forms of political expression that would normally violate our rules like violent speech such as ‘death to the Russian invaders’,” it said.
It added that it “still won’t allow credible calls for violence against Russian civilians”.
Throssell warned that the new policy lacked clarity, which “could certainly contribute to hate speech directed at Russians in general”.
“That would be really concerning,” she said, adding that the UN rights office planned to raise its concerns with Meta.
“We may encourage them to look at certain harms that come with this change of policy,” she said.
Throssell acknowledged that the issue was legally complex and freedom of speech concerns also needed to be considered.
“In an ongoing conflict, seeking violence against those who are directly engaged in hostilities would likely not be prohibited speech,” she said.
“This needs more analysis from our side, and also more information from Meta.”
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
