Palestinian Social Media Creators Use 'Algospeak' to Evade Suppression Amid Israel-Hamas Conflict
Palestinian content creators employ code words, changed spellings, and strategic emoji use to subvert content moderation algorithms on platforms like TikTok and Instagram amid allegations of biased censorship and suppression.
- Palestinian content creators are using 'algospeak', a collection of code words, altered spellings, and emojis, to evade suppression algorithms on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram amid allegations of biased censorship.
- Common methods of 'algospeak' include changing the captions of videos, shifting the spellings of sensitive English and Arabic words, and adding sounds to voice-overs to make them harder for social media algorithms to detect and delete.
- Many popular creators are advising Palestinian users to document any problematic content enforcement actions by tech companies, and adopt similar 'algospeak' tactics to ensure their posts are not removed or suppressed.
- Criticism has been directed at tech companies such as Meta, YouTube, and TikTok for their handling of content shared during periods of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Claims include the unequal application of content moderation rules, lack of local language expertise, and inadequate protection against hate speech.
- Despite tech companies' efforts to deal with the issue, including hiring more Arabic and Hebrew speaking moderators and limiting who can comment on specific posts, Palestinian users are still reporting instances of content suppression, decrease in engagement, and restrictions on live video broadcasting.
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