Facebook will remove "posts or comments supporting Hamas"

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, has recently announced that they are taking steps to control misinformation related to the Israel-Palestine War on their platforms. These steps will include removing any posts or comments supporting Hamas, as well as deleting content that "clearly identifies hostages" of the ongoing war.

Since Hamas launched an offensive against Israel on October 7, misleading claims and doctored images have spread on Facebook and other social media, with many directly from the Israeli military. In the three days after the attack, Meta said they removed or marked as disturbing more than 795,000 pieces of content in Hebrew or Arabic.

Meta is also temporarily expanding its violence and incitement policy and removing content that clearly identifies hostages taken by Hamas, even if it is being done to condemn or raise awareness of their situation.

Content with blurred images of victims is still allowed but the company will prioritise the safety and privacy of kidnapping victims if unsure or unable to make a clear assessment, the tech giant said.

Meta added that the company is aware of Hamas' threats to broadcast footage of the hostages and it would swiftly remove any such content and prevent copies being re-shared. It is also lowering the threshold at which its technology takes action to avoid recommending content that potentially violates rules across its Facebook, Instagram and Threads platforms.

While Hamas is banned from the platforms, Meta allows social and political discourse - such as news reporting, human rights-related issues, or academic, neutral and critical discussion.