Meta Platforms Inc. FB is intensively moderating content across its platforms, eliminating over 795,000 content breaches of its guidelines in Hebrew and Arabic in the three days following the Hamas' attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
In the period following the violent outbreak, the company revealed that it had deleted content at a rate sevenfold compared to the preceding two months.
The removal of content followed stringent warnings from the European Union regarding the propagation of disinformation on its platforms amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, according to Bloomberg.
Scrupulously addressing a wave of disinformation since the attacks, Meta is reportedly intensifying scrutiny of content on its platform, collaborating with fact checkers proficient in Hebrew and Arabic, and instituting measures like hashtag blocking.
The rigorous actions came in the wake of a solemn caution by European Commissioner Thierry Breton to CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other social media magnates regarding their platforms being used as conduits for a deluge of unlawful content amidst the conflict, Bloomberg noted.
Upfront Battles With Misinformation
Unverified and violent content has spiraled across social media.
Some users on Elon Musk's X, the platform once known as Twitter, have presented video game footage as actual eyewitness accounts, and concealed news links have posed challenges for users attempting to access breaking news, according to Bloomberg.
The war has presented substantial challenges to the EU's Digital Services Act instituted earlier this year, which mandates companies employ additional content moderators and initiate efforts to curb misinformation spread, or face hefty fines and potential bans.
Meta's Proactive Measures
Furthermore, Meta is strategically lowering the threshold at which its technology will restrict the recommendation of violating content and is minimizing the visibility of potentially controversial comments on posts across Facebook and Instagram, according to Bloomberg.
This includes limiting the use of Facebook and Instagram Live for users who have historically violated platform policies and removing content and accounts that show hostages taken by Hamas.
Price Action: META shares closed lower by 2.92% to $314.69 on Friday. Shares fell 0.2% to $314.05 after hours.
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This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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