Human rights groups protest Meta shareholder meeting over alleged censorship of pro-Palestinian content

As Meta kicks off its annual shareholder meeting Wednesday, human rights groups have coordinated protests calling the company to put an end to what they call systemic censorship of pro-Palestine content, both on the company’s social networks and within its own workforce.

The day of action comes after nearly 200 Meta employees signed a letter to Mark Zuckerberg this month demanding the company put an end to alleged censorship of internal voices advocating for Palestinian rights. The employees called for more transparency around alleged biases on public facing platforms and issued a statement urging for an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

The public statement comes after a separate petition that was circulated internally gathered more than 450 signatures in 2023. The employee behind that letter claimed she was investigated by the company’s human resources department for violating company rules, a claim echoed in the newest letter.

Such actions from Meta have created a “hostile and unsafe work environment” for Palestinian, Arab, Muslim and “anti-genocide” colleagues at the company, the letter said.

“Many have tried to articulate this through posts on Workplace only to be censored, rebuffed and/or penalized,” the letter said. “Feedback shared directly with leadership on Workplace Chat has been met with dismissiveness.”

Employees cited the company’s failure to address external allegations of censorship, including findings from an external audit in 2023 that determined Meta repeatedly censored pro-Palestine voices in response to a conflict in the region three years go. The company has also “ignored reasonable requests for transparency” on content policies, the employees allege, including a letter sent by senator Elizabeth Warren in December 2023.