Meta Will Now Remove Posts Targeting ‘Zionists’ as Part of Expanded Policy

Meta plans to remove posts containing the word “Zionist” when used alongside “dehumanizing comparisons, calls for harm, or denials of existence,” the company announced Tuesday. The move is part of an expansion of the company’s current hate speech policy, it said in a blog post. “We have determined that the existing policy guidance does not sufficiently address the ways people are using the term ‘Zionist’ online and offline,” the Facebook and Instagram parent said. “Going forward, we will remove content attacking ‘Zionists’ when it is not explicitly about the political movement, but instead uses antisemitic stereotypes, or threatens other types of harm through intimidation, or violence directed against Jews or Israelis under the guise of attacking Zionists.” The company said it had made the decision after months of investigation involving more than 145 historians, civil rights groups, free speech advocates, and legal and human rights experts. Meta’s broader hate speech policy bars direct attacks on people on the basis of so-called “protected characteristics,” including but not limited to race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, sexuality, and gender identity.