US elected officials confront Meta over removal of abortion aid content
Elected Democrats Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren say they are concerned about the censorship exercised, according to them, by Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram.
US senators on Monday called on Facebook and Instagram to clarify their policies regarding messages from abortion services, as the two social networks removed information and ads that didn't. did not violate its rules.
Articles show that many posts providing information about accessing legal abortion services have been taken down, often within minutes of going live, say Senators Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren.
Other similar content on Instagram has been covered by warnings for sensitive or explicit content.
The two women say they are worried about the censorship exercised, according to them, by Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram.
The senators cite examples, from promoting a documentary on abortion to a message titled Abortion in America: How You Can Help.
Around the end of June , after the Supreme Court revoked the constitutional right to abortion in the United States, messages of information and mobilization against this decision multiplied on the platforms as well as proposals to send or to receive abortion pills by mail, for women who need them.
Meta had already reacted to press articles at the end of June by recalling that it is forbidden to buy, sell, exchange, give or ask for drugs on its social networks, but that content that discusses the availability and accessibility of prescription drugs is permitted, according to a tweet from Meta spokesperson Andy Stone.
We have discovered examples of incorrect application [of the rules] and we are correcting them, he added.
Regarding the warning banners on Instagram, the the communications side of the app put forward a computer bug, which would have impacted different content, not just those related to abortion rights.
The two senators ask Mark Zuckerberg and Adam Mosseri, the respective bosses of Meta and Instagram, for additional information on what the x27;company made about these enforcement issues.
