The Auschwitz Museum published a long entry on X titled “Erasing History by the Facebook Algorithm.” The institution is deeply concerned about the recent actions in which 21 of their photos, paying tribute to the victims of Auschwitz, were flagged at the same time. The entries were flagged and their visibility reduced for reasons the museum describes as absurd.
Facebook moderators claim that photos of Holocaust victims violated community rules for, among other things, for “adult nudity and sexual activity”, “intimidation and harassment”, for “hate speech” and “incitement to violence”. Moreover, the institution noted that the post from April 6 commemorating the tragic fate of Jewish children from the orphanage in Izieu was deleted without the possibility of appeal.
Facebook flagged photos of Auschwitz victims. Absurd markings
“The Auschwitz Museum, an institution dedicated to preserving the memory of the victims of the German Nazi camp, has faced unprecedented action from Facebook. The posts in question contain only respectful tribute to the memory of the victims and historical documentation, showing the faces and biographical information of those who suffered and were murdered in a place that symbolizes one of the darkest chapters of human history,” the institution commented on Facebook’s action.
The museum, of course, appealed against these decisions and asked for the case to be reconsidered. However, only some of the posts were restored. The justification provided by Facebook is, according to the Auschwitz Museum, completely “confusing.” The institution notes that similar entries have been published for many years and there have never been any problems with them. Suddenly, however, 21 entries were flagged at one time. “This raises serious doubts about the effectiveness and accuracy of content moderation technology,” the museum writes.
This scandalous incident not only undermines the important work of our institution. Such an act is unacceptable and offensive to the memory of the victims of Auschwitz, which we strive to preserve. This is harmful to the Survivors, descendants and all people involved in preserving historical truth
– we read.
The museum demands an immediate and in-depth explanation of this matter and the provision of transparent explanations of the reasons for flagging the posts in question.
Do we want a strong image of Poland in the world? Poland v Facebook lawsuit for erasing the history of the Holocaust. Offensive historical policy meets digital sovereignty
who in his entry also tagged the Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski, the Minister of Culture Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz, the Minister of Justice Adam Bodnar and the Minister of Digitization Krzysztof Gawkowski.
Facebook was breaking the law. Private censorship is not allowed
The court obliged Meta to restore the blocked content and publicly apologize to SIN for the unjust blocking of accounts and groups on Facebook and Instagram. The judgment is not final.
The SIN vs. Facebook case is the first trial in Poland regarding the so-called private censorship on Facebook and Instagram and the first case resolved in favor of an organization opposing arbitrary blocking.
The court clearly stated: Facebook cannot block users without justification and without giving them the opportunity to effectively challenge decisions if they disagree with them. Such action is unlawful
– comments Dorota Głowacka, a lawyer from the Panoptykon Foundation, who has been substantively dealing with this case since 2019.
– So far, decisions to block an account were often made arbitrarily and in practice it was difficult to question them. Any attempts to appeal against them were rather reminiscent of Kafka’s trial. We hope that now, thanks to the court’s verdict, we will no longer be helpless in the face of private censorship – adds Głowacka.
Source: Gazeta
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