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- DINT 81 - Where’s the Truth About Israel - Palestine Conflict? Not on Social Media
DINT 81 - Where’s the Truth About Israel - Palestine Conflict? Not on Social Media
PLUS: Video and Transcript Released of LA Police in 2017 Rushing to Catch Pokemon Instead of Criminals
Lisa D. Sparks
October 20, 2023
This Friday Feature addresses social media’s role in misinformation about deadly events, such as the current Israel-Palestine conflict. We show a timeline of Instagram’s errors as it suppresses some voices, apologizes, then does it again. We also point out a source for fact checking any claims you come across online. I hope you find this guide useful as you form your thoughts and ideas around what’s happening in our world today. - L
Today’s News at the Intersection of Tech, Race, and Gender
1/ Video and Transcript Released of LA Police in 2017 Rushing to Catch Pokemon Instead of Criminals
2/ Black-Owned Tech Startup Gro Intelligence Tapped as Key Resource by Environmental Groups
3/ Documentary on Data Center Development from Virginia Public Media Offers an Explainer Video to the Masses
4/ US Gov Agency Proposes Strict Measures for Personal Financial Data Sharing
5/ Movement to Require Computer Science as a Mandatory Part of High School Curricula Gains Momentum
Friday Feature
Where’s the Truth About Israel - Palestine Conflict? Not on Social Media
No matter which side you support, or if you support human rights alone, the Israel-Palestinian conflict continues to tear communities apart, put lives at risk right here in the U.S., and sadly, it also breaks up friendships.
Today we’re taking an objective look at tech’s role in the reporting of the conflict, with Meta squarely in the crosshairs of ‘errors’ or ‘glitches’ that obsure a comprehensive view of world events.
As far back as September of last year, Meta-owned media properties have violated their own policies to mis-report the news:
September 21, 2022
Meta commisions independent review of its reporting on the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
A key finding from the report by independent research agency Business for Social Responsibility (BSR)
“Meta’s actions in May 2021 appear to have had an adverse human rights impact.”
More recently, Meta-owned Instagram has made the most missteps:
October 16, 2023
Meta admits to ‘gltch’ that shadow-banned Instagram accounts voicing support for Palestinian civilians.
October 18, 2023
Instagram bans images of bombing as ‘sexual content
October 18, 2023
Meta acknowledges glitches on both Instagram and Facebook platforms but says limits on Stories and users’ ability to go live was a global event
The very next day Instagram had to acknowledge and apologize for adding the word terrorist behind the word Palestian in its translations of Instagram bios.
October 19, 2023
Instagram links the words Palestinian and terrorist in bio translations from Arabic to other languages
Elon Musk-owned X (formerly Twitter) is widely regarded as an unreliable source for truthful information about the current conflict in Gaza.
Screenshot of recent headlines denouncing X’s content moderation practices around the Israel Palestinian conflict.
For thorough fact checks, we at DINT depend on sites like Reuters to correct false narratives:
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