Facebook accused of hosting pro-ISIS posts celebrating attacks on Jews
What's the story
Facebook has been accused of hosting terrorist propaganda that celebrates the murder of Jews and praises the Islamic State (IS). The allegations were made by the Community Security Trust (CST), a leading anti-hate group. The CST highlighted several posts celebrating the Bondi beach massacre, which were still on Facebook two days after the attack on December 14.
Continued presence
Posts celebrating Bondi beach massacre still active
The CST has flagged several posts celebrating the Bondi beach massacre in Sydney, Austria. One post features a video of the Bondi beach attack's aftermath and says "Allah is the greatest and praise to Allah." It has received more than 100 likes, 27 comments, and four shares.
Content removal
Facebook's response and ongoing investigation
In response to the allegations, Facebook said it was in the process of removing some of the flagged posts after being contacted by The Guardian. A Meta spokesperson said "the content was removed for violating our policies around dangerous organizations and individuals." However, CST Director of Policy Dave Rich expressed concern over the number of IS-supporting accounts promoting terrorist content on Facebook.
Urgent action
CST calls for investigation into Meta's failings
Rich said, "The sheer volume of IS-supporting accounts promoting terrorist content on Facebook is deeply alarming, and the posts celebrating the Bondi terrorist attack are utterly nauseating." He further criticized social media companies for failing to meet their basic responsibilities and putting everyone in danger. The CST has called on Ofcom to urgently investigate Meta's failings and take strong action where possible.
Regulatory response
Ofcom's stance on illegal content
Ofcom, the media regulator, said if a post is reported now, the platform must decide whether the content is illegal under UK law and take it down swiftly if it is. It also noted that "evidence suggests terrorist content and illegal hate speech is persisting on some of the largest social media sites." This comes amid fears of a rise in terrorist activity targeting Jewish communities in Western countries.