As we reported a few months ago, Meta’s independent Oversight Board recommended that the Facebook parent end its policy of banning the Arabic term “shaheed” when used in reference to what Meta views as a dangerous individual or organization.
Meta’s stance was that the term, which usually translates as “martyr,” was one of praise in these circumstances. However, “shaheed” does not always signal approval, and the issue was fraught enough for the company to ask the Oversight Board for its opinion (the board, which is funded by Meta, cannot issue binding recommendations outside of specific cases). And now, having received it, the company has decided to change the policy.
Today, Meta said it would now only ban content with the word “shaheed” if it violates other policies or comes with “one or more of three signals of violence,” namely: a picture of weaponry; wording that advocates the use or carrying of weaponry; or a reference to a “designated event” such as a terrorist attack.
The Oversight Board still wants to see Meta become more transparent about how it designates people, organizations, and events as being dangerous, but it nonetheless welcomed the move, saying the previous policy had led to millions of takedowns affecting mostly Muslim users.
“This change may not be easy, but it is the right thing to do and an important step to take. By vowing to adopt a more nuanced approach that will better protect freedom of expression, while also ensuring the most harmful material is still removed, Meta is stepping up,” board member Paolo Carozza said in a statement.
Others are not so pleased with Meta’s decision, with Sacha Roytman—CEO of the Combat Antisemitism Movement—saying in a statement that “social media platforms have been used as recruitment centers for terrorist organizations over the last few years, and social media companies should be working to prevent rather than assisting this process.”
Meta is not the only Big Tech outfit to face tough content calls in the context of the Israel-Gaza war, which began when Hamas, the militant group that ruled Gaza for a generation, slaughtered 1,139 people in Israel on Oct. 7 last year. Since then, the war has claimed over 37,000 lives in Gaza.
Also today, Wired reported on the disquiet within YouTube over the Google property’s decision not to take down a Hebrew rap song that backs the Israeli military action in Gaza with praise for bombing and shooting, and with references to Hamas fighters as rats.
According to the piece, YouTube decided that the song targets Hamas rather than Palestinians in general, and there is no penalty for hate speech against terrorist organizations. However, some employees reportedly note that the song uses the Biblical term “Amalek,” which refers to Israel’s historical enemies, and say it therefore genocidally targets Palestinians in general. YouTube did not dispute the reporting of the internal controversy, but denied accusations of biased content moderation.
“The suggestion that we apply our policies differently based on which religion or ethnicity is featured in the content is simply untrue,” spokesperson Jack Malon told Wired. “We have removed tens of thousands of videos since this conflict began. Some of these are tough calls, and we don’t make them lightly, debating to get to the right outcome.”
More news below.
David Meyer
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NEWSWORTHY
Nvidia antitrust charges. Reuters reports that Nvidia will be hit with antitrust charges in France. It’s not entirely clear what Nvidia’s alleged offense is, but the company has previously warned shareholders that French (and EU and Chinese) regulators have asked it questions about its graphics cards. France’s competition authority also raided Nvidia’s offices last year, saying it was suspected of “having implemented anticompetitive practices in the graphics cards sector.”
Manipulated and fake content. Yesterday saw a flurry of announcements and reports about how platforms will handle AI or manipulated content. Meta has changed its “Made with AI” label to instead say “AI info,” as photographers had been annoyed at the mislabeling of photos that had merely been edited with the aid of AI. TechCrunch also reports that YouTube now lets people request the removal of videos simulating their face or voice with AI or other means. And Google now wants advertisers to flag election ads that contain “synthetic content that inauthentically depicts real or realistic-looking people or events.”
China hate speech. Chinese social networks are cracking down on extreme nationalist hate speech, the Guardian reports. Last week, a man stabbed a Japanese mother and child in the city of Suzhou, and many social media users spewed xenophobia in reaction to the incident. Platforms such as Douyin and Weibo have previously been loath to take down nationalist—and often anti-Japanese—comments.
ON OUR FEED
“I fired one round at it. They say I hit it so I must be a good shot, or else it’s not that far away … I’m going to wind up having to find a real good defense lawyer.”
—Florida man Dennis Winn admits shooting at a Walmart delivery drone, reportedly hitting the payload. According to USA Today, Winn says he first tried to shoo the drone away. He was charged with shooting at an aircraft, criminal damage, and firing a gun in public or on residential property.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Tech companies are turning to nuclear plants as AI increases demand for power, by Chris Morris
Hollywood tycoon Ari Emanuel blasts OpenAI’s Sam Altman after Elon Musk scared him about the future: ‘You’re the dog’ to an AI master, by Christiaan Hetzner
Ken Griffin is hitting pause on the AI hype, saying he’s unconvinced the tech will start replacing jobs in the next 3 years, by Christiaan Hetzner
The AI startups of VCs’ dreams, from recruiting to an Nvidia alternative, by Allie Garfinkle
Inside the ‘looksmaxxing’ economy: Jawbone microfractures, expensive hairspray, and millions to be made off male insecurities, by Alexandra Sternlicht
BEFORE YOU GO
Chinese standards. China’s government has set up a technical committee to create standards for brain-computer interfaces and their data, The Register reports. The idea is for Chinese researchers to be forced to adhere to the standards, and also to boost China’s influence in future international standards-setting processes—much as it’s trying to do in telecommunications. In a similar vein, the Chinese industry ministry also said today that it would develop over 50 new AI standards by 2026.