Meta Platforms announced on Tuesday that it will lift its blanket ban on the word “shaheed” (meaning “martyr” in English) following a year-long review by its oversight board. This decision comes after years of criticism regarding Meta’s handling of content related to the Middle East. A 2021 study, commissioned by Meta, found that its approach had an “adverse human rights impact” on Palestinians and other Arabic-speaking users.
Criticism of Meta’s policies has intensified since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began in October. The oversight board, funded by Meta but operating independently, started its review last year due to the high number of content removals associated with the word “shaheed.”
In March, the review concluded that Meta’s rules on the term “shaheed” failed to consider its various meanings, leading to the removal of content that did not praise violent actions. Meta acknowledged the review’s findings and stated that its tests showed removing content when “shaheed” is “paired with otherwise violating content” effectively captures the most harmful content without disproportionately impacting users’ voices.
The oversight board welcomed the policy change, noting that Meta’s previous stance led to the censoring of millions of users across its platforms.
