Nearly 200 Meta employees signed an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg demanding an end to alleged censorship
During Meta’s annual online shareholder meeting Wednesday, human rights groups organized online protests to demand an end to what they consider systemic censorship of pro-Palestinian content on the company’s social networks and within its workforce.
The call for action follows nearly 200 Meta employees signing a letter to Mark Zuckerberg, urging the company to stop alleged censorship of internal voices supporting Palestinian rights. The employees requested greater transparency regarding perceived biases on public platforms and called for an immediate, lasting ceasefire in Gaza.
Activists argue that after years of urging Meta and other platforms to be more fair and transparent in content moderation, it’s crucial to pressure shareholders, who may have greater influence over the company than the public.
Nadim Nashif, founder and director of the social media watchdog group 7amleh, which helped coordinate the action, stated, “This problem has persisted for at least a decade, with no significant improvement in policies. We’ve observed that it’s worsening, especially during the recent conflict. We need to explore other strategies, including engaging with shareholders.”
The public statement from Meta employees, released this month, follows a separate petition circulated internally that garnered over 450 signatures in 2023. The employee responsible for the earlier letter alleged that she was investigated by the company’s human resources department for violating company rules, a claim reiterated in the recent letter.
These actions by Meta have, according to the letter, created a “hostile and unsafe work environment” for Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, and “anti-genocide” colleagues at the company. The letter also noted that many attempts to raise these issues through posts on Workplace were censored, ignored, or met with penalties. Additionally, feedback shared directly with leadership on Workplace Chat was reportedly dismissed.
Employees pointed to the company’s failure to address external accusations of censorship, such as findings from an external audit in 2023 that concluded Meta had repeatedly censored pro-Palestinian voices during a conflict in the region three years ago. The employees also allege that the company has “ignored reasonable requests for transparency” regarding content policies, including a letter sent by Senator Elizabeth Warren in December 2023.
During Wednesday’s investor call, Meta avoided addressing the issue of Palestinian censorship altogether, focusing instead on its artificial intelligence projects and responding to shareholder inquiries about controlling disinformation. The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the letters and petitions circulating regarding its moderation of Palestine-related content.