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Facebook has changed the rules and will begin training its system to automatically block any post that attempts to deny or disparage the Holocaust. The social network wants to combat an “alarming increase in the level of ignorance” on the subject. Until this Monday, these types of publications were allowed on Facebook under the pretext of freedom of expression.
“I don’t think our platform should remove [publicações a negar o Holocausto]. There are issues where people get it wrong, ”Mark Zuckerberg said in 2018. At the time, he was severely criticized for his words, despite saying that, as a Jew, he considered anti-Semitic posts“ deeply offensive ”.
Now, Zuckerberg says that any content that “denies or distorts the Holocaust” will be removed. “My opinion on the issue has evolved when I see data showing an increase in anti-Semitic violence,” said the founder.
In a statement on the changes, the social media team cites a September investigation, commissioned by the Claims Conference, a Jewish organization that negotiates compensation for Holocaust victims, showing that a quarter of Americans between the ages of 18 and The 39-year-old defines the Holocaust as a myth, an exaggerated story, or a subject they are not sure about.
In July, a report by Community Security Trust, a UK charity, noted that the pandemic had reduced the number of physical attacks on Jews in the first half of 2020, but warned: The Internet has become a “convenient and “to express and spread hatred.
August Data from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a Think, be grateful in the UK dedicated to fighting extremism, show that Facebook is one of those responsible. A few months ago, searching for keywords such as “Holocaust” in the search bar of the referred social network 28 Facebook groups and eight pages with content that denies the extermination of Jews and other groups by Nazi Germany which were followed by 370 thousand people.
Facebook wants to fix the problem: from now on, anyone who searches for the Holocaust on Facebook will be redirected to “trustworthy” sources of information. Facebook bases the changes on conversations with various groups fighting anti-Semitism around the world, including the World Jewish Congress and the American Zionist Committee.
“I have struggled with the tensions between defending free speech and the harm done by minimizing or denying the horror of the Holocaust,” Zuckerberg explains. “Defining the limits between what is acceptable speech is not easy, but with the current state of the world I think [proibir conteúdo a negar ou desvalorizar o Holocausto] it’s part of the right balance. “
Last week, Facebook also began classifying the QAnon groups (a movement that uses conspiracy theories to promote the far-right) as dangerous and began removing them from its platform.
The social network team cautions, however, that the changes may take time to take effect: “There is a lot of content that may violate these policies, and it will be some time before we train our reviewers and systems on the rules.” .
