Facebook has been accused of ‘grossly offending’ Holocaust survivors and ‘erasing history’ after a photograph of victims was temporarily removed and 20 other posts were incorrectly flagged on the Auschwitz Memorial Museum’s profile page for violating the platform’s rules such as ‘promoting adult nudity’ and ‘sexual activity’.
Outraged museum staff lashed out at the social media giant on Friday evening saying that the removal or flagging of photos and biographical information of those who died in the death camp was ‘hurtful to survivors, descendants, and all those committed to preserving historical truth.’
In a statement the museum said: ‘The posts, which serve as tributes to individual victims of Auschwitz, have been unjustly targeted by this platform’s content moderation system, citing absurd reasons such as “Adult Nudity and Sexual Activity,” “Bullying and Harassment,” “Hate Speech,” and “Violence Incitement.”‘
A Meta spokesperson told that Facebook had ‘mistakenly sent notices to the Auschwitz Museum’ that the posts had been ‘demoted’, but said that the posts had never actually been censored. ‘We offer our sincere apologies for the error.’
They also said that an image showing a group of Jewish orphans – which the museum said had been ‘summarily removed without the possibility of recourse’ entirely – had been restored.
One of the posts flagged by Facebook shows a Jewish Czech woman named Ida Mullerova. It says that she was deported to Auschwitz on December 15, 1943 and ‘did not survive’. The post was flagged for ‘going against our Community Standards for Sexual Solicitation’
This memorial to Polish prisoner Feliks Koprianiuk was flagged for ‘violence and incitement’
Norwegian Marie Sachnowitz was murdered in a gas chamber after arriving in December 1942. According to Facebook, the post violated its standards of ‘adult nudity and sexual activity’
A memorial to Polish Jew Berek Antaba was removed for going against Facebook’s Community Standards for ‘Bullying and Harassment’
This picture of Jewish children from the orphanage in Izieu was removed by Facebook because it violated unspecified ‘Community Standards’
Established in April 1940 to hold Polish prisoners following Nazi Germany ‘s invasion of Poland, by the time it was liberated in January 1945 the Auschwitz death camp had grown into the largest killing machine in history.
Over one million people, mainly Jews, were executed, beaten, tortured, starved or gassed to death there, while countless others died of disease or malnutrition.
One of the posts flagged by Facebook shows a Jewish Czech woman named Ida Mullerova.
The post, which says that she was deported to Auschwitz on December 15, 1943 and ‘did not survive’, was flagged by Facebook for ‘going against our Community Standards for sexual solicitation.’
Another showing Polish prisoner Feliks Koprianiuk was flagged for ‘violence and incitement.’
Yet another shows Jewish Norwegian woman Marie Sachnowitz who was murdered in a gas chamber after arriving in December 1942. According to Facebook, the post violated its standards of ‘adult nudity and sexual activity.’
In another, the museum posted a memorial to Berek Antaba, a Polish Jew born in 1984 who was deported to Auschwitz in November 1942.
‘He did not survive,’ the post says, along with his picture.
But a note against the post added by Facebook says: ‘We moved one of your posts lower in Feed’, with the explanatory note underneath the picture saying: ‘Our technology showed that this post looks like others that go against our Community Standards for Bullying and Harassment.’
Meta told no post on the page was actually demoted.
This memorial to Czech Jew Harry Ditmar was removed from the Auschwitz Museum’s post for violating Facebook’s standards for ‘Restricted goods and services’
This post from the Auschwitz Memorial Museum about Polish Jew Menashe Rojat, prisoner number 20654, was removed by Facebook being ‘Violent and Graphic Content’
German Jew Sigmund Wolfgang Haberhauffe was imprisoned in Auschwitz in February 1943 where he was given prisoner number 103757. He died in the camp 10 months later on December 30. Facebook flagged his image for going against its standards for ‘Restricted goods and services’
This memorial post about 10-year-old Jewish girl Debora Chaja Strassberg who was murdered in an Auschwitz gas chamber in 1942 was also flagged by Facebook’s moderation systems
But these were just three of several that the museum said had been flagged by Facebook, which shared screenshots of the posts and the website’s note explaining which of the platform’s rules had supposedly been broken.
The museum has now hit back, saying that the idea that the posts violate Facebook’s community standards ‘is utterly confounding.’
It said: ‘For years, the Auschwitz Memorial has been sharing similar content without any issues, yet suddenly, 21 posts are simultaneously flagged.
‘Moreover, we also noticed that a post commemorating the tragic fate of Jewish children from an orphanage in Izieu from 6 April 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.’
Karen Pollock, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, called the flagging of the posts ‘utterly absurd’.
‘The Auschwitz Memorial and Museum has for years been sharing educational content regarding the Jewish families who were brutally murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust,’ Ms Pollock told .
‘These posts reach millions around the world and ensure that the memory of these innocent victims are never forgotten.
‘When social media sites seem to be flooded with antisemitism and hate with little to no action taken, it is astonishing that key material that enables people to learn about and remember the 6 million Jewish men, women and children murdered is being removed. This is very worrying, and we join the Auschwitz Memorial and Museum calling for an urgent thorough review’
Responding to the museum’s statement on X (formerly Twitter), some users suggested that the posts had been targeted by other Facebook users by spuriously reporting the posts as inappropriate in a deliberate attempt to censor them.
Judy Shapiro, CEO of Trust Web and other companies, suggested ‘a reason why [posts were being flagged] is if Facebook got a lot of complaints’ from other users.
‘I have known hate groups execute these campaigns to get content de-platformed by hitting the platform with a lot of complaints.
‘If a platform gets enough complaints – they take down the content. It is a war of numbers and alas Jews have many many haters.
This post about tours at Auschwitz was flagged for ‘Bullying and Harassment’ by Facebook
This image shared by the Auschwitz Memorial Museum shows the various reasons its posts were flagged by Facebook, including hate speech, graphic violence and sexual solicitation
Over one million people, mainly Jews, were executed, beaten, tortured, starved or gassed to death in Auschwitz, while countless others died of disease or malnutrition
People visit the former Nazi German concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau in Oswiecim, Poland, Thursday, January 26, 2023
‘As a community we are tiny,’ she added.
contacted Meta – Facebook’s parent company – for its response to the claim from the museum.
In response, a Meta spokesperson said: ‘We mistakenly sent notices to the Auschwitz Museum that several pieces of content the museum posted had been demoted.
‘In fact, that content does not violate our policies and was never actually demoted. We offer our sincere apologies for the error.’