Moderation of the Ukrainian Content on Social Media Platforms: METAmorphosis After the 2022 Russian Aggression

Abstract

Amidst the backdrop of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the surge of war-related content on social media platforms, this article delves into the evolving landscape of content moderation on Meta platforms - Facebook and Instagram. The purpose of the article is to explore the peculiarities, identify the challenges, and suggest policy recommendations for improving the moderation of Ukrainian war-related content on Facebook and Instagram following the full-scale Russian invasion. The research demonstrates that Meta platforms apply the following restrictions for moderating content (including war-related content): limiting certain functions on social media, reducing content distribution, removing content, disabling accounts, removing Pages and groups, and providing warning screens on sensitive or misleading content. The restrictions affected Ukrainian media, journalists, bloggers, activists, and ordinary users documenting Russia’s aggression. The most censored content included epithets to describe Russians, war-related satire, posts about the Azov Regiment, calls for violence against Russians, and violent and graphic content related to the war in Ukraine. To address existing content moderation challenges, it is recommended that Facebook and Instagram increase the transparency of their community standards and guidelines, stop blocking satirical content, and adapt/update their policies to fit the geopolitical realities of international armed conflicts.