Meta’s Oversight Board says the phrase ‘From the River to the Sea’ should not be banned

A new decision from Meta’s Oversight Board regarding the use of the phrase “From the River to the Sea” found that it does not violate the platforms’ policies on hate speech, violence and incitement or dangerous organizations and individuals. The board also said in its decision that the three flagged cases that used the phrase highlighted the need for more access to Facebook’s Content Library for professional researchers, civil society organizations and journalists who previously had access to CrowdTangle.

The ruling looked at three pieces of Facebook content that contained the phrase “From the River to the Sea,” a phrase considered by many to be pro-Palestinian, referring to the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. The rallying cry faces politics with different meanings and interpretations. Critics of the term such as the Anti-Defamation League call it “an anti-Semitic slogan often included in anti-Israel campaigns.” Others, such as US President Rashida Tlaib, who was criticized by the House last year for using the word in a statement about the Israel-Gaza war, called it “a call for longing for freedom, human rights and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction or hatred,” according to the New York Times.

The Oversight Board ruled that the sentence itself is not an “independent sentence” calling for violence against a group of people, the exclusion of a particular group of people or an overall stance of support for Hamas. The board also said it is “important” that Meta forums check the context surrounding the use of the term while checking the content of its users.

“Because the phrase does not have a single meaning, a blanket ban on content that includes the phrase, a mandate directed at the removal of that content, or using it as a signal to trigger enforcement or review, would prevent protected political speech in an unacceptable manner. ways,” the decision reads.

The board also raised concerns about Meta’s decision to shut down the CrowdTangle data analysis tool in August in its content audit and called for more transparency about the new system. CrowdTangle was a free research tool used by news outlets, researchers and other groups to learn about the spread of information on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

Meta has replaced the tool Meta Content Library, a very tightly controlled data analysis system with strict access rules. The Content Library restricts access to those working with a “qualified academic institution or qualified research institution” committed to “non-profit work,” according to Facebook’s guidelines.

The Oversight Board recommended that Meta enter qualified researchers, groups and journalists within three weeks of submitting the application. The board also recommended that Meta “ensure that its Content Library is a suitable replacement for CrowdTangle,” according to the decision.