Clinics, advocacy groups, and individuals who share abortion-related content online say they're seeing informational posts being taken down, even if the posts don't clearly violate platform policies. The groups, in Latin America and the US, are denouncing what they see as censorship, even in places where abortion is legal. Companies like Meta claim their policies haven't changed, and experts attribute the takedowns to over-enforcement at a time when social media platforms are reducing spending on content moderation in favor of AI systems that struggle with context and nuance, per the AP. But abortion advocates say the removals have a chilling effect, even if later reversed, and navigating platforms' complex systems of appeals is often difficult, if not impossible. More:
- For months, the digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation has been collecting examples from social media users who've seen their abortion-related posts taken down or accounts suspended. "We hope to call attention to the issue, demand accountability, and increase transparency in the moderation practices and, ultimately, help stop the platforms from censoring this essential, sometimes lifesaving information," says EFF staff attorney Jennifer Pinsof.
- The group says it received nearly 100 examples of content takedowns on Instagram and Facebook, as well as on TikTok and even LinkedIn. It's not clear if the takedowns are increasing or if people are posting more about abortion, especially abortion medication such as mifepristone, since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. "It's not something that's very easy to measure," says Pinsof.
- Brenna Miller, a TikTok creator who often posts about abortion, said she made a video unboxing an abortion pill package from a nonprofit, in which she talked about what was in the package and discussed the process of taking the pills. She posted the video in December, and it was up for at least a week—before TikTok removed it, saying it violated the platform's community standards. After "months" of back-and-forth, the video was restored in May, with no explanation.
- TikTok doesn't generally prohibit sharing information about abortion or abortion medication. However, it does regulate selling and marketing drugs, including abortion pills, and it prohibits misinformation that could harm people. Meta, meanwhile, said its policies and enforcement regarding medication-related abortion content haven't changed and weren't impacted by changes announced in January, which included the end of its fact-checking program.
More
here, including other examples of abortion-tied content that have disappeared into the ether.
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