"Pro-Palestinian Instagram account locked by Meta for ‘security reasons’", 26 October 2023

Pro-Palestinian Instagram accounts have been locked by Meta after what the Facebook owner said was suspected signs of security being compromised.

A popular Instagram account among Palestine supporters with more than 6 million followers, @eye.on.palestine has been unavailable to view... The backup account was also unavailable to view. Both accounts were still unavailable...

The account regularly posts images and videos from Gaza and is one of the leading Instagram accounts sharing experiences of Palestinian people living under Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.

This is not the first time the account has been banned. Last year the account was temporarily suspended for “not following” community guidelines though the account was later reinstated.

Meta said: “These accounts were initially locked for security reasons after signs of compromise, and we’re working to make contact with the account owners to make sure they have access.”

The recent suspension comes after a host of issues with Meta and pro-Palestinian posts and accounts.

The social media watchdog group 7amleh, the Arab Center for Social Media Advancement, which has been monitoring cases related to the silencing of Palestinian voices, has documented more than 238 censorship cases in recent weeks. This includes the Instagram account of Let’s Talk Palestine being temporarily suspended, and Meta temporarily suspending the Facebook account of Palestinian media outlet 24FM.

The director of 7amleh, Nadim Nashif, said: “We’ve uncovered a disturbing pattern of silenced Palestinian voices and free expression, mainly across Meta’s platforms. Palestinian content is unfairly targeted, while hate speech and incitement against Palestinians go largely unchecked. Censorship is rampant, with reach limitations, takedowns, and stifling restrictions on media outlets, journalists, and influencers, notably the account Eye on Palestine. This crackdown prevents the world from hearing the truth from the ground.”