Social media giant Facebook has come under fire after incorrectly flagging 21 posts on the Auschwitz Memorial Museum’s page for violating the platform’s community standards.
The posts, which were meant to honor individual victims of the Auschwitz death camp, were flagged for reasons such as “promoting adult nudity” and “violence incitement.”
The museum, which serves as a tribute to the millions of people who suffered and died in the Nazi concentration camp, expressed outrage and called the removal and flagging of the posts “hurtful to survivors, descendants, and all those committed to preserving historical truth.”
One of the posts flagged by Facebook showed a photo of a Jewish Czech woman named Ida Mullerova, who was deported to Auschwitz and did not survive. Facebook deemed the post as “going against our Community Standards for sexual solicitation.” Another post, featuring a memorial to a Polish prisoner named Feliks Koprianiuk, was flagged for “violence and incitement.”
The museum also shared a post about a Jewish Norwegian woman, Marie Sachnowitz, who was murdered in a gas chamber, which Facebook deemed as violating its standards for “adult nudity and sexual activity.”
However, Facebook spokesperson Meta clarified that the posts were never actually censored and that the notifications sent to the museum were a mistake.
The museum, however, remains skeptical and has demanded an immediate and thorough review of the incident. They also noted that similar content has been shared on their page without any issues for years, and this sudden flagging is “confounding.”
“Facebook’s Algorithmic Erasure of History”
We wish to express our deep concern regarding the recent action of @facebook simultaneously flagging 21 posts published by the Auschwitz Memorial.
The posts, which serve as tributes to individual victims of Auschwitz, have been… pic.twitter.com/FG2qSZMsGX
— Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) April 12, 2024
The museum’s mission is to educate people about the horrors of the Holocaust and remember the victims. These posts, which showcase the faces and biographical information of individual victims, are a crucial part of their work. The fact that they were flagged and removed by Facebook’s algorithm is not only unacceptable but also offensive to the memory of the victims.
The Holocaust was one of the darkest chapters in human history, and it is essential to preserve the memory and honor the victims. The censorship of these posts by Facebook erases history and disrespects the survivors and their families.
This incident is just one of many instances where Facebook’s content moderation system has failed. It raises questions about the effectiveness and accuracy of the platform’s algorithm and its ability to differentiate between hate speech and honoring historical events.
The Holocaust must never be forgotten, and censorship of posts related to it is a disservice to the victims and their families. Facebook must take responsibility for this mistake and ensure that it does not happen again. The memories of the victims deserve to be honored and preserved, and Facebook must do better in protecting these important posts.
