- Stock markets diverge as Hong Kong sinks, oil prices fall
- US trade gap narrowest in five months as imports slip
- Stay and 'you are going to die': Florida braces for next hurricane
- England 96-1 after Salman's century lifts Pakistan to 556
- Hollywood star Idris Elba champions African cinema in Ghana
- Djokovic rolls Cobolli to make Shanghai Masters last 16
- Milan's Hernandez receives two-game suspension after referee rant
- Geoffrey Hinton, soft-spoken godfather of AI
- Ex-Barcelona and Spain great Iniesta retires aged 40
- Duo wins Physics Nobel for 'foundational' AI breakthroughs
- German 'Maddie' suspect could be free in 2025 after cleared of separate sex crimes
- China slaps provisional tariffs on EU brandy imports
- Ex-skipper Skelton eyes Wallabies November return
- Spanish great Iniesta leaves indelible legacy after retirement
- Indian Kashmir elects first regional government in a decade
- Hong Kong stocks crash, oil prices retreat on fading China boost
- Man City accuse Premier League of 'misleading' claims after legal case
- Duo wins Physics Nobel for key breakthroughs in AI
- Agha defies England as Pakistan post 515-8 in first Test
- September second-warmest on record: EU climate monitor
- Pastor wanted by US for sex trafficking to run for Philippine senate
- Mozambican writer Mia Couto dreams future leaders set an 'example'
- German 'Maddie' suspect could be free soon after cleared of separate sex crimes
- China says to take anti-dumping measures against EU brandy imports
- German suspect in 'Maddie' case cleared in separate sex crimes trial
- Israel expands offensive against Hezbollah in south Lebanon
- China stocks rally fizzles on stimulus worries amid Asia retreat
- Bangladesh's Yunus says no elections before reforms
- England strike twice as Pakistan reach 397-6 at lunch in first Test
- China stocks rally peters out on stimulus worries amid Asia retreat
- Taiwan's Foxconn says building world's largest 'superchip' plant
- Kenya's deputy president faces impeachment vote
- N. Korean soldiers 'highly likely' killed in Ukraine: Seoul
- 'Appeals Centre' to referee EU social media disputes
- US Supreme Court to hear 'ghost guns' regulation case
- 'Small' oil leaks detected in Samoa after NZ navy shipwreck
- Nobel literature jury may go for non-Western writer
- At Istanbul church, blessed spring offers hope to Christians and Muslims
- From Bolivia to Indonesia, deforestation continues apace
- Myanmar to send rep to regional summit for first time in three years
- Prabowo set to lead bolder Indonesia on world stage
- Tampa zoo rushes Chompers the porcupine and others to safety as Milton nears
- Shanghai stocks pare early surge on stimulus worries amid Asia retreat
- New Japan PM to hold talks on ASEAN sidelines
- Record number of climbers chase 14-peak dream in Tibet
- Former South Korea clinic for US 'comfort women' to be demolished
- China holds off on fresh stimulus but 'confident' will hit growth target
- Chiefs battle past Saints to stay unbeaten
- Deal on climate aid hangs in balance at UN COP29 summit
- Royals hit back against Yankees, Tigers maul Guardians
CMSD | -0.36% | 24.7 | $ | |
SCS | -0.47% | 12.89 | $ | |
RELX | 0.93% | 46.47 | $ | |
RBGPF | -0.46% | 60.52 | $ | |
RIO | -4.79% | 66.435 | $ | |
CMSC | -0.53% | 24.57 | $ | |
NGG | 0.31% | 65.685 | $ | |
GSK | -1.26% | 38.15 | $ | |
BTI | -0.06% | 35.18 | $ | |
RYCEF | -0.15% | 6.87 | $ | |
BCC | 0.61% | 142.135 | $ | |
BCE | -0.46% | 33.375 | $ | |
AZN | -0.16% | 76.75 | $ | |
JRI | 0.23% | 13.21 | $ | |
VOD | -0.16% | 9.675 | $ | |
BP | -3.24% | 32.1 | $ |
Activists urge Meta to overhaul policies for Iran content
Three rights groups on Thursday urged Facebook and Instagram owner Meta to overhaul its policies for Persian-language content on Iran, complaining restrictions had impeded the ability of Iranians to share information during ongoing protests.
London-based freedom of expression group Article 19, global digital rights group Access Now and the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) said Meta had to change policies on potentially sensitive content as well as human and automated moderation.
With the internet heavily censored in Iran, Instagram is now the main platform for communication in the Islamic republic as it remains unblocked.
Other social media services such as Telegram, YouTube and Twitter as well as Facebook are all blocked inside Iran.
The groups said Instagram "suffers from a deficit in trust and transparency" among Persian-language users and Meta needed to ensure "its content moderation practices uphold and protect human rights and freedom of expression."
All these concerns have been raised at a discussion with a Meta content policy manager, they added.
Iran has seen several weeks of protests against its leadership under supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, triggered by price rises.
But activists complain Meta has taken down some content documenting the protests uploaded to Instagram, depriving users of a key resource of what is happening inside the country.
The temporary blocking earlier this year of #IWillLightACandleToo to remember the victims of the shooting down by Iran of an Ukrainian airliner in 2020 also triggered anger.
The statement expressed concern over takedowns of content on Instagram containing the protest chant "Death to Khamenei" or similar slogans against the Iranian leadership.
Meta previously issued a temporary exception for such chants in July 2021 and has also now granted exemptions related to Russia's war against Ukraine.
Calling for consistency from Meta, the organisations expressed concern "this lack of nuance... causes problematic takedowns of newsworthy protest posts or posts that could help directly or indirectly corroborate human rights abuses."
The groups also called for "more transparency" on automated processes, where media banks are used for automatic takedowns based on certain phrases, images or audio.
Following allegations in a report by BBC Persian that Iranian officials tried to bribe Persian-language moderators for Meta at a Germany-based content moderation contractor, concerns were also raised "about the oversight of human moderation processes", they said.
Meta at the time denied ever having ties to the Iranian government and said moderators review a randomized selection of content to check if it violates rules "removing any room for subjectivity".
F.Bennett--AMWN