Facebook Marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day By Promoting Credible Info

Facebook marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day Wednesday by introducing a new way to connect users who search for related terms with credible information from outside of its platform, but that wasn’t enough to boost the grade of D that it received on the Online Holocaust Denial Report Card released Wednesday by the Anti-Defamation League. The ADL credited Facebook for its introduction of “one of the most explicit Holocaust denial policies” of the nine platforms it graded, as well as for its removal of some of the larger Holocaust denial groups following a policy change implemented last October. However, the organization also shared examples of Holocaust denial content that remained on the platform. The ADL wrote, “For example, Facebook determined that multiple videos from the (video hosting service) BitChute channel called ‘Holocaust Lies Exposed’ did not violate its specific community guidelines around Holocaust denial. These videos included captions such as, ‘Holohoaxers talking shit,’ and, ‘Holohoax tales,’ and comments such as, ‘How was it ever possible that people with even half a brain believed this garbage?’ In communicating this decision to the user, Facebook stated, ‘The video was reviewed and, though it doesn't go against one of our specific community standards, we understand that it may be offensive to you and others.’ It offered no additional context and took no further action.” A spokesperson for Facebook responded, “We don't agree. We’ve made major progress in fighting Holocaust denial on Facebook by implementing a new policy prohibiting it and enforcing against these hateful lies in every country around the world. We're going even further by taking new steps today to educate people on Facebook with authoritative information about the Holocaust when someone searches for terms associated with it. We have removed the content mentioned in this report and will continue working to keep Holocaust denial off of our platform.” Vice president of integrity Guy Rosen detailed Wednesday’s update in a Newsroom post, saying that anyone searching on Facebook for terms associated with the Holocaust or Holocaust denial will see a message encouraging them to seek credible information on the topic off-platform and providing a link to Facts About the Holocaust. Those messages are rolling out Wednesday in English-speaking countries including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the U.K. and the U.S., and they will be extended to more countries and languages in the coming months. The Facts About the Holocaust site was created by the World Jewish Congress with the support of UNESCO, and it shares easy-to-read facts about the Holocaust and survivor testimonies with the aim of providing essential information about the history of the Holocaust and its legacy. World Jewish Congress president Ronald Lauder said in a statement, “Holocaust denial, Holocaust distortion and the spreading of conspiracy myths about the Holocaust generally have become cornerstones in the vicious incitement of antisemitic hatred on the part of white supremacists, neo-Nazis and other extremist forces. The World Jewish Congress is deeply gratified to work with UNESCO and Facebook to ensure that Facebook’s 2.7 billion users are provided with accurate, comprehensive information about the Holocaust. Connecting Facebook users to AboutHolocaust.org will contribute greatly to promoting tolerance and empathy as the antidote to resurgent antisemitism, xenophobia, bigotry, and hate.” UNESCO director-general Audrey Azoulay added, “Transmitting the history of the Holocaust is key to combatting denial and conspiracy theories today—it is key to equipping people with the skills they need to refuse the hateful logic of anti-Semitism, racism and hatred, and to challenging those who seek to exploit ignorance. We must join forces to share factual and reliable information on social media platforms, and this partnership is a clear step in the right direction.” The ADL compiled its Online Holocaust Denial Report Card earlier this month by investigating how platforms were addressing Holocaust denial content, taking into account policies, examples of content and the platforms’ responses when that content was reported. The organization explained, “Our investigators focused on a cross-section of mainstream tech platforms and services that have publicly expressed their commitment to addressing hate on their platform and whose platforms would be easily searchable by an average user. For example, we did not include in this investigation platforms such as Gab, 4chan or Telegram, which have few if any policies regarding hate, extremism or Holocaust denial. We also did not include hosting providers, payment processors or online games whose services are not broadly searchable.” The ADL did not award any A grades. Twitch received a B, while C grades went to Roblox, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube, and the platforms receiving D grades were Discord, Facebook (including Instagram), Reddit and Steam.