Organisations urge BigTech platforms to combat online hate related to the Israel-Gaza conflict
A collective of 57 organisations is requesting BigTech companies to adhere to human rights principles. They condemn the companies’ discriminative approach to Palestinian voices and urge for the establishment of a fair common ground.
In light of recent events related to the ongoing Israeli-Gaza conflict, 57 global and regional organisations are urging tech companies to combat the rise of misinformation, hate speech, and online discrimination against Palestinians on their platforms.
According to The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media, between 7 October and 11 October 2023, out of 23,000 tweets on X’s (formerly Twitter) platform, 19,000 were documented to be violent. They explain that most of these tweets support violence against civilians and further incite the spread of disinformation, stereotyping, and dehumanisation geared toward the Palestinian population.
The group expresses a dire need for the companies in question to recognise the importance of respecting the freedom of expression, political participation, freedom of assembly, and the right to access information. The negligence of such rights, through hiding hashtags and content takedowns, only contributes to further discrimination and the amplification of the general conflict.
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