Facebook has had absurd image censorship in the past, including a classic painting, an ancient Roman statue, and the Venus of Willendorf. While all of these were kind of comical, the latest case of Facebook’s image censorship leaves a bitter taste. Its AI wrongfully flagged photos of Auschwitz victims, removing the Auschwitz Memorial Museum’s post for “bullying” and “nudity.”
[Related Reading: Auschwitz Museum calls out “holocaust trend” on TikTok as hurtful and disrespectful]
Facebook incorrectly labeled as many as 20 of the Museum’s posts, removing them for violating community standards. All of them showed photos of people who died in the concentration camp, as well as the orphans. And Facebook’s AI saw “bullying and harassment” and “adult nudity and sexual activity” in them.
Women in the barracks of Auschwitz
What happened: The Auschwitz Memorial Museum’s side
Facebook’s automated systems flagged several images posted by the Auschwitz Memorial for violating its community standards. These included a photo of Ida Mullerová, a Czech Jewish woman who died at Auschwitz, which was flagged for “sexual solicitation.” Another image featuring Marie Sachnowitz, a Norwegian Jewish woman murdered in a gas chamber, was flagged for showing “adult nudity and sexual activity.” Additionally, a post containing a picture of Berek Anataba, a Polish Jewish man who perished at the camp, was flagged for “bullying and harassment.” Finally, a photograph depicting Jewish orphans in Izieu, France, was removed for violating unspecified community standards.
[Related Reading: Auschwitz warns people to stop posing for photos on concentration camp railway tracks]
The museum claims they have been sharing “similar content without any issues” for years before this happened. “Moreover, we also noticed that a post commemorating the tragic fate of Jewish children from an orphanage in Izieu from April 6 was summarily removed without the possibility of recourse.”
This egregious incident not only undermines the important work of our institution. Such an act is unacceptable and offensive to the memory of the victims of Auschwitz that we try to preserve.
The posts in question feature nothing but respectful remembrance and historical documentation, showcasing the faces and biographical information of those who suffered and were murdered in a place that symbolizes one of the darkest chapters of human history.
We demand an immediate and thorough review of this matter, along with a transparent explanation of why these posts were flagged in the first place.
According to Meta, the images were not removed from the Museum’s page. The company claimed that the notices received by the museum, which stated that the posts had violated standards, were sent in error. However, Meta did acknowledge that the image of orphans had been accidentally deleted and has now been restored.
“We mistakenly sent notices to the Auschwitz Museum that several pieces of content the museum posted had been demoted,” a Meta spokesman said.” “In fact, that content does not violate our policies and was never actually demoted. We offer our sincere apologies for the error.”
A spokesman for the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism said that Meta was right to apologize “for these troubling and ridiculous notices to the Auschwitz Museum.”
“At a time of surging antisemitism across the world, it is more important than ever to understand the lessons of the Holocaust.”
[via The Telegraph; lead image credits: xiquinhosilva, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons]
