Meta apologises after 'Christchurch 2.0' report claimed it didn't breach Instagram rules
In short:
Meta has said a technical error was responsible for deeming an alleged threat against a Sydney mosque did not breach its Instagram user guidelines.
Australia's internet safety regulator told the ABC it was monitoring how changes to Meta's policies and personnel might contribute to a rise in harmful content.
What's next?
Muslim groups say more needs to be done by government and social media platforms to protect people against online hate speech and threats of violence.
Meta has blamed a technical glitch after an individual who reported an alleged threat against a Sydney mosque on Instagram received a notification saying it had not breached the platform's community standards on violence.
WA Police arrested a 16-year-old in Bunbury on Tuesday, hours after the newly opened Australian Islamic House reported an alleged threat on social media that sparked a "major" investigation by NSW Police.
Among other comments on Instagram were "I'm going to christ church 2.0 this joint" — an apparent reference to the massacre of 51 worshippers at a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2019 by a white supremacist.
Yet the day after the teenager's arrest, Meta provided notification to the individual who had reported the comment, saying its team had undertaken a review that "found that it does not go against our community standards on violence or dangerous organisations".
"We understand that this might be upsetting," it added, explaining that users could unfollow, mute or block the account which had posted the comment.
In a statement to the ABC on Friday evening, Meta said: "We do not allow organisations or individuals that proclaim a violent mission or are engaged in violence to have a presence on our platforms.
"The threatening Christchurch 2.0 comment was removed as soon as we became aware," a spokesperson said.
"We are aware of one user who mistakenly received an incorrect automated response a day after the content had already been actioned, most likely due to a technical error. We apologise for any confusion."
This week the ABC reported that ahead of the storm hitting Australia's east coast, Facebook search results for "Cyclone Alfred" were blocked or hidden for violating community standards — something Meta blamed on a "technical issue".
The Christchurch massacre was the worst terror attack in New Zealand's history. (ABC News: Brendan Esposito)
Australian authorities monitoring Meta's watered-down policies
Earlier this year, Meta announced sweeping changes to its content moderation policies.
Founder Mark Zuckerberg declared it was "time to get back to our roots around free expression".
The changes included ditching fact checkers and removing "restrictions on topics like immigration and gender that are out of touch with mainstream discourse".
Loading...The company said censorship of its platforms would focus on "high-severity violations" such as child sexual exploitation, drugs, scams and terrorism.
While Meta says it has maintained third party fact-checking in Australia, in the US it instead introduced a "community notes" system that relies on platform users flagging potentially misleading content.
The moves drew condemnation from internet safety advocates and human rights organisations.
Amnesty International said that in enacting the changes Meta had "effectively declared an open season for hate and harassment targeting its most vulnerable and at-risk people, including trans people, migrants, and refugees".
While declining to comment on the "Christchurch 2.0" incident as "a matter for police", a spokesperson for Australia's eSafety commissioner told the ABC it was monitoring Meta's changes to community standards — particularly its hate speech policy.
"Details of these are a matter for Meta; however, we reiterate that, as an entity operating within Australia, the company is required to comply with Australian law, including the Online Safety Act," they said.
"We are keeping a watchful eye on how changes to company policies and personnel may be contributing to an increase in material that is harmful or may incite crime or violence."
ASIO's director-general Mike Burgess recently warned that all Australia's most recent terror cases involved young people, including one as young as 14.
"The internet was a factor in every single one of these incidents," he said.
'Disturbing escalation' in anti-Muslim hate speech
Muslim leaders said the posts on the mosque's social media page this week heightened fears of rising Islamophobia.
The Australian National Imams Council said it was concerned for the safety and wellbeing of Muslims in Sydney following the "chilling terrorist threat" which came at the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan.
NSW Police launched a "major" investigation into the alleged threat against Australian Islamic House. (ABC News: Abbey Haberecht)
Islamophobia Register Australia has received 1,217 reports of Islamophobic incidents since the Hamas attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023.
The register's executive director, Nora Amath, said the "Christchurch 2.0" comment was not an isolated incident, but rather part of a "disturbing escalation" of hate speech against Muslims.
"Tech companies must take stronger, more-proactive measures to detect and remove harmful content, particularly when it directly threatens communities that have already experienced targeted violence," she said.
"In the past 10 months alone, the register has received three separate reports referencing Brenton Tarrant, the convicted terrorist behind the Christchurch attacks."
Islamophobia Register Australia executive director Nora Amath. (Supplied)
NSW Premier Chris Minns called the alleged threat against the mosque "very distressing" and said "racist threats and Islamophobia will not be tolerated and will be met with the full force of the law".
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described it as abhorrent and said there was "no place for this in Australia".
The Islamic Council of Victoria said its member societies had also reported receiving death threats.
"Such incidents are well-documented and regularly reported to police, and yet, government and authorities routinely fail to take any decisive action," the council said in a statement.
A Melbourne woman was last month charged with assaulting two Muslim women, one of whom was pregnant, at a shopping centre in the city's north.
Editor’s note, March 8, 2025: An earlier version of this story reported Meta had provided the notification to multiple users who had reported the ‘Christchurch 2.0’ comment that it did not breach community standards. Meta has since told the ABC it is only aware of one individual who received the notification.