ADL pushes Meta for transparency on antisemitism and hate content

A shareholder proposal sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) affiliate JLens has the backing of Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis & Co. 

Both proxy advisory firms are advising Meta shareholders to vote in favor of the proposal, which seeks to have the big tech giant reveal how it deals with hateful content on its platforms.

In Proposal 8, titled “Report on Hate Targeting Marginalized Communities,” the requirements for such a report are spelled out in greater detail. JLens is asking that the report include details on the company’s “policies, practices, and effectiveness” in handling hate, specifically, “specifically antisemitism, anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-disability hate.” According to the proposal, the findings are to be made public within a year.

Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer of Meta Platforms Inc., center, arrives for the 60th presidential inauguration in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

META ENDS CORPORATE DEI PROGRAMS

This proposal comes just over a month after Meta’s Oversight Board expressed its concern over the company’s shift in policy on regulating content, which was announced in January. The board concluded that controversial speech did not need to be removed, but that Meta needed to remove “content where there is a substantial connection to tangible harm.”

ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt welcomed the support of ISS and Glass Lewis, telling FOX Business that having both firms back the proposal was “an important milestone.”

“All we want to do is to ensure that Meta is making it clear how they’re handling the rampant antisemitism and bigotry on their services,” Greenblatt told FOX Business.

Last June, the ADL released its findings showing that among teens who were harassed online, 61% experienced harassment on Facebook—an uptick from the 53% found in its previous report.

A few months later, in September, the ADL released its social media scorecard in which Facebook received a C grade and Instagram received a C-. 

The organization found that while the platforms had “appropriate policy,” neither acted on content containing antisemitic conspiracy theories that was flagged by regular users. When that same content was reported by a “trusted flagger,” Facebook acted on 87.5% of it, while Instagram acted on 68.8%, according to the ADL. 

On Monday, April 7, Meta is set to end all third-party fact-checking on its U.S. platforms. (Photo by Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Getty Images)

META ANNOUNCES IT WILL OFFICIALLY END FACT-CHECKING ACROSS ITS U.S. PLATFORMS

Greenblatt said the ADL has been trying to engage with Meta for months and has been unsuccessful in getting the company to act against hateful content. The ADL chief also told FOX…