Meta has begun blocking accounts associated with abortion and LGBTQ+ advocacy en masse

Meta’s major platforms — Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp — have found themselves at the center of a scandal after allegations of mass censorship. Dozens of accounts belonging to organizations providing information about abortion, «reproductive health» and LGBTQ+ communities around the world have been removed or restricted in recent weeks.

The Guardian reports that the blocking and restrictions began in October and affected more than 50 organizations around the world, some of which serve tens of thousands of people. The measures have affected groups in Europe, the UK, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Repro Uncensored, a nongovernmental organization that monitors digital censorship of «gender, health and justice» movements, reported 210 account deletions and severe restrictions this year, up from 81 last year. Repro Uncensored executive director Marta Dimitratou emphasized that this is, in her opinion, «at least one of the biggest waves of censorship we’ve seen.»

For its part, Meta has denied the escalation of censorship. In an official statement, the company stressed that «every organization and individual user on our platforms is subject to the same set of rules, and any claims of enforcement based on group affiliation or advocacy are baseless,» adding that its policy on abortion-related content has not changed.

However, human rights activists argue that Meta’s actions show a globalization of the company’s approach, which was previously used in the US during the Trump administration era on «women’s health» and LGBTQ+ issues. Earlier this year, there have been instances of «shadowbanning» or deleting accounts of organizations that help Americans find abortion pills.

Among the «affected» organizations is Women Help Women, a Dutch nonprofit that provides abortion information to women around the world, including Brazil, the Philippines and Poland. According to executive director Kinga Jelinski, the organization handles about 150,000 emails from women each year. The Women Help Women account has existed on Facebook for 11 years and has been previously suspended, but this was the first time it was completely banned. Jelinska called the ban «life-threatening,» fearing it would push women to dangerous, less reliable sources of information. A Nov. 13 message from Meta indicated that the page «does not meet our community standards for prescription drugs.» Meta later said the Women Help Women account had been removed in error and reinstated.

In Colombia, Jacarandas, a young feminist group founded after the decriminalization of abortion in 2022 to advise women and girls on obtaining free and legal abortions, has faced repeated blockades. CEO Viviana Monsalve said their WhatsApp hotline has been blocked and then restored three times since October. At the time of publication, the WhatsApp account was blocked again, and the organization has received little information from Meta about whether this will continue. «We wrote Meta an email and said, ‘Hey, we’re a feminist organization. We work with abortion. Abortion is legal in Colombia up to 24 weeks. It ‘ s allowed to give information about it, ‘» Monsalve said.

While some groups, such as Jacarandas and Women Help Women, have faced complete account deletions, others report increasing restrictions on their posts and «shadow bans.» Fatma Ibrahim, director of Sex Talk Arabic, a UK-based platform offering Arabic-language content on sexual and reproductive health, said that over the past year, the organization has received almost weekly reports from Meta that its page was «not compliant with the rules.» Meta recently removed a post featuring an artistic depiction of a nude couple hidden by hearts, citing a new nudity policy. Ibrahim called the warning «patronizing» and noted that Meta’s moderation is U.S.-centric and lacks regional context.

Human rights activists have accused Meta of arrogance and lack of feedback, as the company offers only vague reasons for deleting accounts and appears unwilling to engage in dialog. In one email shown to The Guardian, a Meta consultant invites organizations to a private online briefing, but stipulates that the meeting «will not be an opportunity to criticize Meta’s practices or make recommendations for policy changes.» Caroline Are of Northumbria University’s Center for Digital Citizens notes that the problem is exacerbated by the ineffectiveness of the platforms’ appeals processes. «This wouldn’t be such a problem if platform appeals actually worked, but they don’t. And appeals are the backbone of any democratic justice system, » she added.

Recall, earlier it was reported that in Canada, Protestant minister Derek Reimer faced the threat of imprisonment after publicly criticizing an event for children with trans artists. His refusal to sign a court-required written apology aggravated his legal situation, sparking a debate about freedom of speech and religion in the country.