Meta doesn’t allow violent speech — except when it does
When is it OK to call for someone's death on Instagram? If you're Palestinian or writing in Arabic, the answer is obvious — never. Meta has admitted in the past that even words like “resistance” have triggered its alarms in the Palestinian context. But elsewhere, it's less clear-cut.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 triggered an unusual move by Meta: In early March of that year, Facebook and Instagram users were suddenly allowed to threaten violence against Russian soldiers or Russian President Vladimir Putin. For users in Eastern Europe, the company temporarily loosened longstanding prohibitions on violent speech, thereby openly aligning itself with the Ukrainian side.
In a blog post explaining the company’s rationale, Meta’s President for Global Affairs Nick Clegg wrote: “The fact is, if we applied our standard content policies without any adjustments we would now be removing content from ordinary Ukrainians expressing their resistance and fury at the invading military forces, which would rightly be viewed as unacceptable.”
The decision wasn’t surprising at the time. Western governments and publics were quick to line up in opposition to the war, and Facebook was already non grata in Russia, having been blocked inside the country. Although Russian officials later cited Meta’s rule change in its decision to label the company an “extremist” organization, outside Russia, the move had little consequence for Meta’s reputation.