The Government of Israel on Tuesday applauded Facebook’s decision to veto all content that “denies” or “distorts” the Holocaust on the social network, after a study revealed that the algorithm used by the company allegedly favors denialism.
“We applaud this vital step by Facebook against cyber hatred. Holocaust denial is not a matter of historical debate, it is the most pernicious form of anti-Semitism,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said through its Twitter account.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Monday his thinking “has evolved as he has seen the data show an increase in anti-Semitic violence” in the country, before adding that he has been “between a sword and a sword. wall”.
Thus, he assured through a statement that he has had to fight a battle between “defending freedom of expression and facing the damage caused by minimizing or denying the horror of the Holocaust.”
The decision was made after various civil rights groups, such as the Anti-Defamation League, expressed concern about the “current state of the world” and hate crimes.
Facebook has now justified its decision based on data pointing to a rise in anti-Semitism globally. “It is an alarming level of ignorance about the Holocaust, especially among young people,” he said.
A recent survey of people between the ages of 18 and 39 in the United States reveals that almost a quarter of respondents say they believe the Holocaust is a myth or has been exaggerated.
Zuckerberg, who is Jewish, was harshly criticized in 2018 when he used the Holocaust as an example of denial that “it may be wrong but it must exist on Facebook.” He later apologized and claimed that he considers “Holocaust denial deeply offensive.”
