Meta bans ‘Zionists’ when used to insult Jews

JTA – Social media giant Meta announced on Tuesday, 9 July, that it would ban derogatory or threatening references to “Zionists” in cases where the term is used to refer to Jews or Israelis rather than supporters of the movement to establish a Jewish polity.

The change means that posts on Facebook and Instagram will now be removed if moderators determine they use “antisemitic stereotypes, or threaten other types of harm through intimidation or violence directed against Jews or Israelis under the guise of attacking Zionists”, Meta said in a blog post.

Under Meta’s hate-speech policy, users aren’t allowed to attack people on the basis of characteristics such as race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, disability, and gender identity. Existing rules already prohibited using the word “Zionist” to refer to Jews or Israelis in two narrowly defined situations, including “where Zionists are compared to rats”. Meta said those rules didn’t account for the broad range of ways that people use the term.

Many Jewish groups have accused people of referring to “Zionists” rather than Jews as a cover for antisemitic speech, and some welcomed the announcement, with the World Jewish Congress (WJC) referring to it as a “landmark decision”.

Ronald Lauder, the WJC’s president welcomed Meta’s decision as a bold stand against those who seek to mask their hatred, and called on other social media platforms to follow suit.

Nearly 150 advocacy groups and experts provided input that led to Meta’s policy update, including CyberWell, a non-profit organisation that has been documenting the swell of online antisemitism and Holocaust denial since the start of the Hamas-Israel war. CyberWell, which is based in Tel Aviv, employs the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, a popular and controversial document that categorises some criticism of Israel as antisemitism.

In a press release, CyberWell said it provided Meta with data demonstrating the widespread use of “Zionist” as a euphemism for Jews and Israelis, adding that it will track how well the company enforces its new policy.

“The term ‘Zionist’ to spread antisemitic vitriol while avoiding detection has been used by radicals on the far left and extremists on the far right. Today, Meta has spoken through thoughtful action,” said CyberWell Executive Director Tal-Or Cohen Montemayor.

Meta said it was still considering how its policies should address cases where users refer to Zionists as criminals. In some contexts, it said, the use of “Zionists” and “criminals” could be shorthand for actions of the government or military and may represent legitimate speech regarding alleged war crimes.

Meta is waiting for input from its Oversight Board, the independent body tasked with reviewing the company’s content-moderation decisions and making recommendations. An Oversight Board spokesperson said its guidance on the matter would be ready in September.