"Instagram, Twitter blame glitches for deleting Palestinian posts", 10 May 2021

Instagram and Twitter have blamed technical errors for deleting posts mentioning the possible eviction of Palestinians from East Jerusalem, but data rights groups fear "discriminatory" algorithms are at work and want greater transparency.

... By Monday, 7amleh, a nonprofit focused on social media, had received more than 200 complaints about deleted posts and suspended accounts related to Sheikh Jarrah. "On Instagram, it was mostly content takedown, even archives from older stories were deleted. On Twitter, most cases were an account suspension," said Mona Shtaya, an advocacy advisor at 7amleh.

Instagram and Twitter said the accounts were "suspended in error by our automated systems" and the issue had been resolved and content reinstated.

Instagram said in a statement that an automated update last week caused content re-shared by multiple users to appear as missing, affecting posts on Sheikh Jarrah, Colombia, and U.S. and Canadian indigenous communities.

"We are so sorry this happened. Especially to those in Colombia, East Jerusalem, and Indigenous communities who felt this was an intentional suppression of their voices and their stories – that was not our intent whatsoever," Instagram said.

But in a joint statement, 7amleh, Access Now, and other digital rights groups called on Twitter and Instagram to use "transparent and coherent moderation policies" and be more open when take-downs happen.