Arabic version: خبراء الصحة ينتقدون ميتا بسبب رقابة المنشورات التعليمية حول المخدرات
Health professionals in Australia are raising alarms over Meta’s censorship of social media posts aimed at educating the public about illicit drugs. According to ABC News, organizations like the Australian Injecting and Illicit Drug Users League (AIVL) have reported that critical alerts meant to inform users about dangerous substances are being removed from platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
AIVL claims that the automated moderation systems employed by Meta are incorrectly flagging these educational messages as endorsements of drug use. The removal of these posts has resulted in some organizations, including Pill Testing Australia and CanTEST, facing account suspensions and even permanent deletions of their pages.
Dr. David Caldicott, clinical lead at CanTEST and Pill Testing Australia, emphasized the necessity of these posts for public health, noting that the switch to AI-based moderation has led to a significant loss of crucial health information. He stated, “If those messages are blocked, people don’t know the service exists, and they lose the chance to make safer decisions.”
In response to the censorship, advocates are calling for the e-Safety Commissioner to intervene. They seek to compel Meta to restore the accounts and content of organizations that have been affected. Meanwhile, CanTEST has developed an app called Night Coach to disseminate drug safety information without relying on social media.
As the debate continues, health experts urge social media companies to better engage with healthcare providers to ensure that life-saving information reaches those who need it most.
