NOVA music festival PARTY 7.10.2023
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is implementing a new policy on how the word “Zionist” is used on its platforms. Meta said that it will now screen posts that use the word because its research found that the term tends to be used to refer to Jews and Israelis with “dehumanizing comparisons, calls for harm, or denials of existence.”
In a statement, Meta explained that over the past few years the company has repeatedly reviewed the use of the term “Zionist” in discussions on its platform. In March 2024, they held a Policy Forum to gain a deeper understanding. This forum included consultations with external experts from diverse backgrounds across the Middle East, Africa, Israel, North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia.
Meta’s people spoke with 145 stakeholders, including academics, political scientists, legal scholars, digital and civil rights organizations, freedom of expression advocates, and human rights experts. Its goal was to learn how people use “Zionist” and how it might be misconstrued as a broad term for Jewish or Israeli people.
Will you offer us a hand? Every gift, regardless of size, fuels our future.
Your critical contribution enables us to maintain our independence from shareholders or wealthy owners, allowing us to keep up reporting without bias. It means we can continue to make Jewish Business News available to everyone.
You can support us for as little as $1 via PayPal at [email protected].
Thank you.
“We recognize there is nothing approaching a global consensus on what people mean when they use the term ‘Zionist’,” said Meta. “However, based on our research, engagement, and on-platform investigation into its use as a proxy term for Jewish people and Israelis in relation to certain types of hateful attacks, we will now remove content that targets ‘Zionists’ with dehumanizing comparisons, calls for harm, or denials of existence on the basis that Zionist’ in those instances often appears to be a proxy for Jewish or Israeli people.”
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) issued a statement saying, “We applaud Meta’s decision to expand its hate speech policy regarding those who use the term ‘Zionist’ as a derogatory way to describe Jews or Israelis. These guidelines will help ensure the term is not used as an antisemitic stereotype, or in a manner that threatens or incites violence.”
“Zionists, which include the vast majority of Jews around the world, support Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state,” added the ADL. “Unfortunately, since Oct. 7, many online and elsewhere, have increasingly used the term as a proxy for attacking Jews.”
President of the WJC Ronald Lauder commented, “Meta’s decision is a much-needed advancement in our ongoing fight against online antisemitism and hatred. By recognizing and addressing the misuse of the term ‘Zionist,’ Meta is taking a bold stand against those who seek to mask their hatred of Jews.”
