Israel Accuses Facebook as Monster, Obstructing Police

Israel’s Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan blasted Facebook recently for allegedly not doing enough to help stop the recent spate of killings of Palestinians and Israelites. Accusing the social network of not censoring hateful comments fast enough, Erdan branded Facebook as a “monster” that obstructed police officers from doing their jobs.

Speaking during a TV interview with Israel’s “Channel 2,” The Verge reports that the security minister believes that Facebook has not been quick on the uptake when it came to comments that incited hatred. More than that, Erdan has accused the social network of obstructing investigations by police by not cooperating with them.

"Facebook today, which brought an amazing, positive revolution to the world, sadly, we see this since the rise of Daesh [ISIS] and the wave of terror, it has simply become a monster," Erdan said.

Erdan also encouraged his constituents to punish Facebook by flooding the social media network with messages to implement effective action. For its part, Facebook is saying that they are doing everything they can to help stop hateful comments, including encouraging users to report comments that can be considered hateful.

The social media site also defended its policies, with a spokesperson saying that its moderation policies are in line with accepted standards.

"We work regularly with safety organizations and policymakers around the world, including Israel, to ensure that people know how to make safe use of Facebook," the spokesperson said. "There is no room for content that promotes violence, direct threats, terrorist or hate speeches on our platform."

One of Erdan’s main complaints about the social network is what he considers Facebook’s “high standards” when it comes to removing comments and posts. Believing them to be too high, Erdan would prefer that Facebook be more liberal when it comes to policing their own users. Israel might even pass laws that would force social networks to comply forcibly, which brings up the matter of infringement on freedom of speech.