Whose side is social media on?

Social media platforms played a critical role in the digital battleground during the Israel-Hamas war, serving as vehicles for both information dissemination and misinformation.

Social media companies reported an increase in content promoting terrorism and false narratives during the conflict.

Meta has been accused by various groups and users of suppressing pro-Palestinian voices and content related to the war efforts, including posts documenting Palestinian suffering or criticising Israel, under its Dangerous Organization policies.

Human Rights Watch reports Meta has been systematically suppressing pro-Palestine content on Facebook and Instagram, contributing to the "erasure of Palestinians' suffering."

The Iron Truth, an Israeli volunteer group, claims to have connections with insiders at major tech companies and has had a considerable number of posts removed that it deems anti-Israel or promoting disinformation.

Iron Truth's influence over Big Tech employees to remove content is not widely corroborated. (The Intercept)

Israel claims to have identified TikTok and other social media platforms as venues where disinformation and anti-Israel sentiment are being spread.

US politicians like Senators Josh Hawley and Marco Rubio have called for action against TikTok, accusing the platform of allowing the spread of pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel content.

Some studies and polls suggest younger Americans are turning increasingly pro-Palestine due, in part, to content consumed on social media.

Debates have arisen on the difference between freedom of speech and harmful content amid these concerns regarding social media's influence on public opinion.

There are conflicting views on whether TikTok is knowingly pushing a pro-Palestinian agenda or simply reflecting the preferences of its user base.

Influencers and regular social media users noticed reduced viewership and reach of content related to Gaza, attributing issues to algorithmic suppression.

The Israeli government issued requests resulting in the removal of over 1,000 violent and extremist posts; however, posts containing misinformation about the conflict were not covered under this arrangement.

Reports emerged that Iranian actors, possibly state-backed, manipulated social media content and used digital platforms to deepen societal rifts and collect personal data from Israeli users.

Teenagers from Israel, as part of an educational program, became active in pro-Israel digital advocacy, contributing to the war of narratives online.

Meta's denial: While some groups have accused Meta of inhibiting pro-Palestinian content, the company has denied deliberately suppressing voices and claims it only removes content violating its policies.