ADL & Meta: Antisemitism & Hate Speech Moderation
- Meta is facing increased scrutiny over its content moderation policies,especially regarding antisemitism and hate speech on its platforms.
- The debate centers on Meta's January declaration that it would move away from removing controversial speech, focusing instead on content directly linked to "tangible harm." Meta's Oversight Board...
- CEO Jonathan Greenblatt welcomed support from Institutional shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis for a proposal urging Meta to clarify its handling of antisemitism and bigotry.
Meta finds itself under intense scrutiny as the ADL raises alarms about antisemitism and inadequate content moderation. Shareholders are demanding stricter enforcement of policies related to hate speech, prompted by concerns over recent shifts in how Meta handles potentially harmful content. This follows MetaS January decision to lessen the removal of contentious speech. The ADL, along with support from Institutional Shareholder Services, is urging Meta to clarify its approach to combating antisemitism and bigotry across its platforms. News Directory 3 reports on the inconsistency issues and challenges Meta faces in policing its vast digital landscape. Will shareholder pressure lead to meaningful changes? Discover what’s next in the evolving battle against online hate.
Meta Faces Scrutiny Over Content Moderation,Antisemitism Concerns
Updated May 28,2025
Meta is facing increased scrutiny over its content moderation policies,especially regarding antisemitism and hate speech on its platforms. The Anti-defamation League (ADL) and some shareholders are pushing for stricter enforcement, citing concerns about the company’s recent policy shifts.
The debate centers on Meta’s January declaration that it would move away from removing controversial speech, focusing instead on content directly linked to “tangible harm.” Meta’s Oversight Board has also voiced concerns about this change.
The ADL has been a vocal critic. CEO Jonathan Greenblatt welcomed support from Institutional shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis for a proposal urging Meta to clarify its handling of antisemitism and bigotry. “All we want to do is to ensure that Meta is making it clear how they’re handling the rampant antisemitism and bigotry on thier services,” Greenblatt told FOX Business.
ADL data indicates a rise in online harassment experienced by teens on Facebook. A June report showed 61% of harassed teens experienced it on Facebook, up from 53% in a previous report.The organization’s social media scorecard gave Facebook a C grade and Instagram a C- in September.
The ADL found that while Meta’s platforms have appropriate policies, they frequently enough fail to act on antisemitic conspiracy theories reported by regular users.However, when “trusted flaggers” reported the same content, Facebook acted on 87.5% of it,and Instagram on 68.8%.
despite the backing of ISS and Glass Lewis, Greenblatt anticipates the proposal for stricter content moderation is unlikely to pass, given Mark Zuckerberg’s controlling stake in Meta. However,he expects a meaningful percentage of shareholders to vote in favor,sending a strong message to the company.
Greenblatt emphasized that the ADL seeks consistent enforcement of Meta’s existing policies, clarifying that this is about “consequence culture,” not “cancel culture.”
“If you violate the rules or the terms, you simply need to pay the price,” he said.
Greenblatt also criticized platforms lacking top-down moderation, citing Wikipedia as an example where user-driven content has led to “an institutionalization of anti-Zionism, antisemitism [and] built-in biases.”
Meta ended third-party fact-checking on U.S. platforms in April, a move that drew immediate concern from the ADL. Greenblatt called it “mind-blowing” that Meta was “taking significant steps back in terms of addressing antisemitism, hate, misinformation and protecting vulnerable and marginalized groups online.”
Meta shareholders are scheduled to meet on Wednesday, but the timeline for releasing the vote results remains unclear.
What’s next
The outcome of the shareholder vote could signal a shift in how meta addresses content moderation, perhaps leading to stricter enforcement of its policies regarding hate speech and antisemitism.