The Oversight Board of Meta, known for reviewing moderation decisions on the company’s platforms, has decided to keep online three posts containing the phrase “From the river to the sea.” This phrase, historically used as a call for Palestinian liberation, had been controversial and appealed by users seeking its removal.
The Board determined that the reviewed content did not violate Meta’s rules on “hate speech, violence and incitement or dangerous organizations and individuals.” According to their evaluation, the use of this expression was considered an act of solidarity with the Palestinian people and did not incite violence or glorify terrorist groups like Hamas.
The review was conducted after users appealed to Meta, which were rejected by the company’s automated tools. The materials in question included a comment with the hashtag #fromtherivertothesea, a video where the phrases “From the river to the sea” and “Palestine will be free” were formed with watermelon slices, and a post showing support for Palestinians.
Although large-scale content moderation has proven to be problematic, especially on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, this case has highlighted the importance of freedom of expression. The Oversight Board’s decision marks an occasion where Meta’s initial decision to keep the content was upheld, emphasizing the need for more individualized and fair moderation decisions.
The community continues to urge Meta to evaluate content related to “From the river to the sea” on an individual basis, and it is expected that the company will take responsibility for ensuring that users can freely express themselves online without facing censorship or unjustified discrimination.
Source: MiMub in Spanish
