According to reports, Seyyed Mohammad Emad A’arabi noted in a piece for Kayhan newspaper that George Orwell’s novel ‘1984’ depicted a Ministry of Truth aiming to eliminate undesirable language to avoid censorship. Ironically, the United States and capitalist systems are engaging in similar practices. Censors, akin to Orwell’s ‘Ministry of Truth’, are actively manipulating language and stifling truth under the guise of modern freedoms. <\/p>\n
In today\u2019s digital landscape, claims of ‘freedom’ and ‘free speech’ ring hollow as censors become more diligent and empowered through advanced technologies. If you are a professional content creator on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube, you likely maintain a list of words and images you must avoid or use with extreme caution. This is due to the immediate backlash you face for even mentioning certain topics, leading to various forms of suppression and shadowbanning.Images of martyrs such as Qassem Soleimani, Hassan Nasrallah, and Yahya Sinwar fall under this scrutiny. The term ‘martyr’, whether in Persian, Arabic, or its English equivalent, can trigger restrictions on your content. Such limitations can result in your material being hidden, deleted, or your account being suspended. Other terms like ‘Hamas’ and ‘Hezbollah’ face similar bans. <\/p>\n
Human Rights Watch, aligned with Western political and cultural currents, has confirmed these issues. On December 21, 2023, the organization reported that the phrase ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’, voiced at various pro-Palestinian gatherings globally, was repeatedly removed by Instagram and Facebook. Surprisingly, even the keyword ‘Ceasefire Now’ was banned and deleted.On October 28, 2023, users and watchdogs reported that even the Palestinian flag emoji was being eliminated by Facebook and Instagram algorithms. With over 3 billion and 2.3 billion monthly active users respectively, these platforms dominate social media usage compared to TikTok, Telegram, and X. Similar violations of Palestinian digital rights are noted across other platforms. Data from Sada Social, a Palestinian digital rights organization, indicates that violations occurred on Instagram (31%), TikTok (27%), Facebook (24%), and X (12%). YouTube, SoundCloud, and others accounted for the remaining 6%. <\/p>\n
The 2024 Digital Rights Index report, set to be released in April 2025, documents over 25,000 instances of digital rights violations and algorithmic suppression of Palestinian content on major social media platforms. This escalating censorship coincides with Palestinians grappling with what the International Court of Justice has termed a form of ‘genocide’. At a time when documenting Israeli war crimes through social media is crucial, these platforms have intensified their algorithmic suppression of Palestinian narratives.The report highlights that 29% of documented rights violations target journalists and media institutions. As local coverage is vital for relaying events from Gaza, the removal of journalists’ and activists’ accounts severely limits access to on-the-ground information. Just as the Israeli regime has targeted journalists in Gaza, major social media platforms are silencing them globally through their algorithms. <\/p>\n
Palestinian journalist Ahmad Shahabeddin reported on November 18, 2023, that he lost access to his Instagram account five times since October 7, despite having nearly a million followers. The Instagram account ‘Let’s Talk About Palestine’, which shares educational content, also faced suspension. The Palestinian news network Quds reported similar issues with its Instagram account being suspended and its Facebook page permanently deleted. Numerous other instances abound, creating a long list of affected users.In stark contrast to Arabic and English content regarding Palestine, Hebrew and English content supporting Israel faces minimal restrictions. Human Rights Watch noted that phrases such as ‘Turn Gaza into a parking lot’ and ‘Erase Palestine from the map’ were not only allowed but deemed compliant with community guidelines by Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. <\/p>\n
Julie Owano, a member of Meta’s oversight board, acknowledged that Arabic content is more heavily monitored and often deleted compared to Hebrew content. Ashraf Zaitoun, former head of Middle East policy at Facebook, revealed that Meta has collaborated with the Israeli regime since 2016 to control content related to it. He stated that Israel has established a powerful system that pressures Meta’s management, influencing the platform’s algorithms.Eric Barbing, a former head of the Israeli Cyber Unit, explained that Tel Aviv specifically requests Meta to remove anti-Israeli words, phrases, and even images of Palestinian martyrs. The Israeli Attorney General submitted 9,500 content removal requests to Meta platforms within approximately a month following the October 7 conflict, with 94% of the requests resulting in content deletion. This bias is unsurprising, as many Meta employees, including top executives, hold Israeli citizenship.On September 28 2025 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized the importance of social media as a critical tool in warfare stating ‘We must combat the tools that are effective in the battlefields we engage in with social media being the most vital.’ He noted that acquiring TikTok was a significant development in this domain further indicating a collaboration to limit content. <\/p>\n
One unique feature of the October conflict was its revelation of the battle for public perception and data control particularly through social media. It is naive for officials to defend the lawlessness and chaos in the digital space after witnessing the support provided by major social media platforms to the Israeli regime during the conflict. When questioned about the collaboration between social media and tech giants with Israel for disseminating its media propaganda an Israeli spokesperson stated ‘The war is not just on the ground.’ Indeed there is a larger battle for minds and those who fail to recognize this reality must undergo a cognitive assessment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the aftermath of the 12-day conflict, the complicity of major social media platforms and tech giants in supporting oppressive regimes raises alarming questions about accountability and censorship. A critical examination reveals the urgent need to confront the realities of digital warfare against free expression.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":581,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-palestine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ghodsnama.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ghodsnama.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ghodsnama.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ghodsnama.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/581"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ghodsnama.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19746"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ghodsnama.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19746\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ghodsnama.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ghodsnama.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ghodsnama.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}