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Meta Probes Employee Over Pro Palestinian Comments
10th January 2024
VP of Analytics for Facebook Alex Schultz /Wikipedia
Meta, formerly Facebook, has restricted system access for a pro-Palestinian data scientist at the firm.
The New York-based worker claims Meta is investigating her for “violating employee policies.” She says the probe started after she protested the company’s censorship of pro-Palestinian views.
In a letter, she asked her bosses to acknowledge Palestinian lives lost. She implored workers to sympathize with Palestinian colleagues in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
She was able to gather 450 signatures from colleagues in an Instagram video in less than 24 hours.
The employee further demanded the company should make transparent its censorship policies that affect both staff and the general public.
Meta Accused of Unfair Censorship
Last year, Meta was accused of suppressing pro-Palestinian voices. Human rights activists and politicians raised complaints. They claimed the company’s algorithms were designed to reduce the visibility of Palestinian content.
Meta is the parent company of Instagram and Facebook. The sidelined staffer said that colleagues had been working internally to “raise these concerns and alarms.”
Her letter was quickly removed from the company’s intranet. She was then locked out of her systems and placed under investigation.
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New Company Policies
Andy Stone is Meta’s spokesperson. In response to the allegations, he said the company is not commenting on the personnel matter.
Andy said that Meta set new policies for appropriate workplace behavior last year. Today, the company does not allow full self-expression at work.
According to Andy, the company is committed to “reducing distractions while maintaining an environment that is respectful and inclusive and where people can do their best work.”
Over the past few months, inside sources have revealed increasing tensions in the company. Some workers openly support Israel, while many others support Palestine. However, those on the Palestinian side cannot publicly express what they feel about the war for fear of company retaliation.
This has reportedly reduced employee morale at the company. When Meta fired a large number of employees last year, a senior executive said that the company had become a stressful place to work at.
Facebook and Instagram workers left anxious by the layoffs feel even more disillusioned by the new policies. A senior executive said that the policies stifle free speech and innovation.
No Discussions on Abortion, Politics and Guns
Zuckerberg’s company has faced huge dilemmas in content moderation. It's not been easy for the company to limit misinformation and hate speech about the war on the platforms.
Before last year, Meta employees could talk about anything on their internal forums.
But starting in 2023, the company banned topics around abortion, gun ownership and politics.
The disgruntled employee expressed frustration in her video, saying many employees feel "unseen, unheard and unsafe."
A few weeks into the Hamas-Israel war, Human Rights Watch accused Meta of censoring Palestinian content. This, they said, contributed to the cover-up of human rights abuses in the war.
Meta refuted the claims, saying the report was biased. The company claims that the report only sampled a few cases of incorrect moderation.
In October, Meta said, “We want to reiterate that our policies are designed to give everyone a voice while keeping people safe on our apps.”
The company said its content policies do not discriminate against personal beliefs. “It is never our intention to suppress a particular community or point of view.”
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I am Andrew Juma
Words In This Article
Acknowledge
Acknowledge: (verb) To admit or accept the existence, truth, or reality of something. It involves recognizing a fact, statement, or person, often by expressing appreciation or gratitude.
Disillusioned
Disillusioned: (adjective) Feeling disappointed, disenchanted, or let down, especially when one's beliefs, expectations, or hopes have been shattered.
Refuted
Refuted: (verb) To prove a statement, argument, or belief to be false or incorrect through evidence, reasoning, or counterarguments.
Disgruntled
Disgruntled: (adjective) Expressing dissatisfaction, discontent, or displeasure, typically due to unmet expectations, frustration, or perceived unfair treatment.