In March 2023, the Oversight Board (an independent body that makes decisions regarding content removal on Facebook and Instagram and that issues recommendations on content policy) announced that it was reviewing Meta's approach to the Arabic word 'shaheed' and made a call for input from external stakeholders. Currently, Meta removed any content with the word 'shaheed' that is linked to a user listed under Meta's policy on Dangerous Organizations and Individuals (DOI).
ECNL and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) jointly submitted an analysis and recommendations on moderating 'shaheed' on the platform, with a focus on algorithmic content governance in moderating terrorist and violent extremist content online. ECNL and EFF argue that the English translation of the word 'shaheed' to 'Martyr' is controversial and disputed, and failure to adequately consider context and understand specific cultural references leads to overbroad removal of content online, thereby violating users' freedom of expression and other related rights.
Indeed, automated content removal tools used by Meta, and other platforms, are unable to pick up on these intricacies leading to unfair and inconsistent enforcement of Meta's DOI. Legitimate content of Muslim and Arabic-speaking communities is often disproportionately removed. ECNL and EEF call on Meta to moderate content as consistent with international human rights law. Restrictions to rights such as freedom of expression (art. 19 ICCPR) and freedom of assembly and association (art. 21 ICCPR) can only be justified if there’s a legal basis, a legitimate aim, and if they’re necessary and proportionate. Blanket and automatic removal of content with the word 'shaheed'—under the (false) pretext that it praises terrorism— without adequately taking into consideration the context in which the word is used, cannot possibly satisfy the condition of proportionality. Restricting users' rights in the name of countering terrorism online cannot possibly be justified with such an approach.
With this in mind, ECNL and EFF urge Meta to:
- Only remove content including the word “shaheed” to refer to individuals designated as dangerous under Meta’s policies where there is praise, support, or a signal of violence;
- Refrain from automatically removing the term “shaheed”;
- Meaningfully consult with civil society, especially Muslims and Arabic-speaking communities, when developing and enforcing policies for Arabic words and contexts.