On Wednesday, Meta Platforms, the owner of Facebook, implemented temporary measures to limit "potentially unwelcome or unwanted comments" on posts related to the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Meta stated in an updated post that it will change the default settings on who can comment on new public Facebook posts made by users "in the region" to restrict it to friends and followers only. A Meta spokesperson refrained from specifying how the company defines "the region." Meta mentioned that users can change these settings at any time.
The social media company added that it will disable the ability to view the first one or two comments on posts while browsing Facebook. Meta stated, "Our policies are designed to keep people safe on our apps while providing a platform for everyone... We apply these policies consistently around the world, and there is no truth to suggesting that we intentionally silence voices."
Earlier this week, some users who posted support for Palestinians or Gazans accused Meta of suppressing their content. Meta classifies Hamas as a "dangerous organization" and prohibits content that praises it.
The news site "Mundo Weiss," which covers Palestinian human rights, reported on social media platform X on October 10 that Instagram had suspended its television correspondent's account twice. Other Instagram users reported that their posts and stories about the Palestinian territories received no views.
Meta stated that it resolved a problem on Instagram that caused reposted content not to display correctly in users' stories, which disappear 24 hours after posting. Meta mentioned, "This issue affected accounts equally around the world, not just those trying to share what’s happening in Israel and Gaza, and it is unrelated to the content subject."
