Facebook seems to be far from over with its recurring moderation problems. As reported by Wall Street Journal On February 8, India-based Facebook groups ran classified ads for weeks long to buy handguns, rifles or ammunition. Groups all the more sensitive as they were associated with various nationalist movements, regularly accused of violence against the Muslim minority.
According to US media reports, the posts were spotted by Raqib Hameed Naik, founder of a group monitoring attacks against minorities in the country. The content referred in particular to WhatsApp conversations (also owned by Facebook), in order to carry out transactions related to weapons worth the equivalent of one hundred euros.
Facebook refuses to remove posts
In total, eight publications are mentioned, some of which date back to April. Posts that Facebook refused to remove, despite netizen reports. The platform finally decided to remove them from the site after being contacted by the Wall Street Journal About that.
If Facebook claims that the dissemination of classified ads for firearms is theoretically prohibited on the social network, the platform refused to explain its initial refusal to remove the content denounced by Raqib Hameed Naik.
In October 2021, the US financial media revealed that Facebook researchers had already raised the alarm internally about the use of its tools to promote violence, during episodes of tension between the different religious communities in India. .
If Facebook’s moderation tools are sometimes flawed in the United States, they are even more criticized in non-English-speaking countries. In Burma, Facebook is particularly targeted for its role in the genocide of the Rohingya, due to its algorithms’ promotion of hateful content and a lack of moderation: despite strong religious tensions, the company used only to five moderators in Burma, for 18 million. users, in 2017.
Source: BFM TV
