Skyline International for Human Rights has expressed its deep concern about the escalation of violations against Palestinian content on social media sites, which are constantly monitored, stressing that the policy of restriction and prosecution pursued by these sites must end immediately.
The organization said in a statement issued today, Saturday, that it considers very seriously the shocking numbers that have been documented of violations against Palestinian content on social media, in conjunction with the International Day of Social Media, which falls on June 30 of each year, calling on these sites to respect Relevant international conventions and corporate human rights norms guarantee freedom to publish and share without restrictions or requirements.
Skyline indicated that the Journalists Support Committee recorded more than 98 violations during the first half of the current year 2022, as social media companies deleted, banned and restricted many news sites and channels via YouTube, Instagram and Facebook".
And the committee stated in a statement issued by it that, “Among the violations, the Meta company deleted news groups affiliated with Al-Aqsa satellite channel through the WhatsApp application, as the number of deleted groups reached 20 news groups, and the YouTube administration deleted several episodes of a series produced by it. "Middletown" company, in cooperation with "Al-Quds Al-Youm" channel in the Gaza Strip, and it is broadcast by several Palestinian and Arab channels.
In its statement, the committee pointed out that Facebook deleted several pages of the Quds Press Agency and the “Encyclopedia of Palestinian Camps” page, which is the largest Palestinian documentary pages on social networking sites, while the “Tik Tok” platform and Facebook banned the Qastal network. Al-Ekhbariya from publishing, which is the network specialized in covering Jerusalem events under the pretext of violating the standards and conditions of service.
The international organization indicated that the escalation of violations against Palestinian content came in conjunction with the beginning of the popular and electronic movement launched by Palestinian activists in May of last year, which expanded to reach most countries of the world against the background of Israeli violations against the Palestinians in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood and the events in Jerusalem and the Israeli aggression On Gaza, confirming that the Israeli authorities - at the same time - submitted dozens of requests to social media sites in order to restrict Palestinian content.
"Skyline" stressed that the shocking numbers and unjustified practices that are being monitored by social networking sites on an ongoing basis, constitute an explicit violation of the legal rules that guarantee freedom of opinion, expression and publication, stressing that the competent international agencies must exercise their role in monitoring the work of these sites. .
The organization highlighted the importance of the "integrity and oversight committees" on social media taking concrete decisions against dozens of complaints that are sent on a daily basis by thousands of individuals whose accounts are subjected to unjustified harassment and restrictions.
Skyline concluded its statement by emphasizing that companies that own social media are required to respect the rules of international law and legal principles that guarantee freedom of opinion and expression in its various texts, and reject any practice that would prejudice those rights or restrict individuals in their enjoyment, stressing that any infringement or A derogation of these rights constitutes a legal violation that requires accountability and accountability.
