Instagram has admitted to the removal of posts about forced evictions of Palestinian families in the occupied East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah, calling it a ‘technical issue’.
On Friday, social media users worldwide, especially those with origin in Palestine, accused social media apps, including Twitter and Instagram, for censoring content about attacks on residents and activists by Israeli forces and settlers in Sheikh Jarrah.
Large forces of the Israeli occupation police stormed the courtyards of the blessed Al Aqsa Mosque, and fired rubber-coated metal bullets, stun grenades, and tear gas at the worshipers, and others were arrested. However, several Instagram users criticised social media app for blocking them from sharing live videos about Al Quds, censoring their posts and temporary blocking them from sharing related news.
Addressing the accusation, Instagram Head, Adam Mosseri, said in a series of tweets that deletions happened because of a “technical bug”, and apologised to users who were unable to “bring attention to incredibly important issues”.
Adam tweeted, “Many people thought we were removing their content because of what they posted or what hashtag they used, but this bug wasn’t related to the content itself, but rather a widespread issue that has now been fixed,”
He further added apologising, “People around the world - from Colombia to East Jerusalem - use our platform to share what’s happening. We know it was a really bad experience. Ultimately I'm accountable for Instagram's stability, so I own this. I’m very sorry.”
“We apologize to all those who felt like they could not bring attention to these incredibly important causes, and many others around the world. Helping people express themselves and raise awareness on the conversations they care about is at the heart of Instagram,” the tweet said.
