Change of course – or almost – for the Apps of Facebook and Instagram on the question of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. In fact, in the last few hours, the platforms have temporarily changed their policy, allowing users from some countries to publish content previously prohibited. These include death threats to Russian soldiers or politicians, for example. A change that does not go unnoticed at all, therefore. On the other hand, until now social networks have tried to limit the dissemination of content on the ongoing war as much as possible. Yet something seems to have changed.
Facebook: App allows you to share content against Russian soldiers and politicians
Almost two weeks after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Meta decides to temporarily change the policy that regulates the dissemination of content relating to the conflict. According to a report shared by Reuters, Facebook and Instagram apps now accept content that incites to violence against the Russian invaders. The same goes for posts calling for the death of Russian President Putin or Belarusian President Lukashenko. A Meta spokesperson confirmed the change. “As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we have temporarily allowed forms of political expression that would normally violate our rules, such as violent speeches about ‘death to the Russian invaders’. We will not yet allow credible calls for violence against Russian civilians “.
According to leaked internal emails, the policy change would affect users in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia and Ukraine. Therefore, they would only be the countries in direct contact with the Russian invaders to be able to use the Facebook App to report the violence immediately. Yet it is clear that this change of course by Meta is somewhat unusual. In response, the Russian Embassy in the US has asked Washington to stop Meta’s “extremist activities”. “The users of Facebook and Instagram have not granted the owners of these platforms the right to determine the criteria of truth and to pit the nations against each other”. So says the embassy on Twitter.
Still, Meta was clear enough. The sharing of hate speech content it is accepted only if it “targets Russian soldiers, except prisoners of war. Or it targets the Russians where it is clear that the context is the Russian invasion of Ukraine (for example, the content mentions the invasion, self-defense, etc.) “. But why did the company choose to change its strategy regarding the publication of violent content? “We are doing this because we have observed that in this specific context, ‘Russian soldiers’ are being used as delegates for the Russian army. The policy of hate speech continues to prohibit attacks on the Russians “, Meta replies in an email leaked on the Net.
In any case, this is certainly not the first time that Facebook and Instagram apps turn a blind eye to violent content. For example, the platforms tolerated death threats against Khamenei last year. And in these same days Meta would have allowed the publication of praise for the neo-Nazi Azov battalion. According to a spokesperson, the platforms made “a small exception to praise the Azov regiment. Strictly in the context of the defense of Ukraine, or in its role as part of the Ukrainian National Guard “. Yet, just a few weeks ago the social networks seemed determined to let their users know only the truth. And if on the one hand this change expands the freedom of expression of users, on the other it could turn Facebook into a den of violence.