The Conflict in the Middle East Makes Facebook Nervous, Triggers Censorship

The Conflict in the Middle East Makes Facebook Nervous, Triggers Censorship

We put our entire lives on Facebook – it’s a place for party pics, emo statuses and sometimes heated political discussions. But even among the usual heated political discussions, the current conflict between Israel and Gaza has proven too hot for Mark Zuckerberg.
 

In the last few days, Facebook has been accused of censoring posts about the clash. However, oddly enough, the social networking giant isn’t taking sides. People on both sides of the argument – pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian supporters – have complained about posts getting deleted for so much as including words like “Gaza” or “Palestine.”
 

It would seem that the mystery of the disappearing posts has to do with Facebook’s safety system, which lets users report “inappropriate content.” Of course, that feature is supposed to be for ridding the site of porn and racial slurs, but it can easily be taken advantage of.
 

However, if Facebook really wants to be a meeting place for friends and ideas (and drunk antics), it will need to relax a little. Stick to worrying about breastfeeding pictures and leave harmless political debates alone.
 

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