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Israel's Cyber Unit Targets Arabic Content: 99% of Takedown Requests for Arabic Posts
Israel's Cyber Unit requested the removal of nearly 186,160 social media posts over two and a half years, with 99% of these requests targeting Arabic content. Platforms removed over 137,000 posts, primarily for alleged incitement to terrorism.
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What happened
- 01Israel's Cyber Unit requested removal of 186,160 social media posts, 99% of which were in Arabic.
- 02Platforms removed 137,059 posts, mostly for alleged incitement to terrorism, between May 2024 and September 2026.
- 03Civil rights groups criticize the near-exclusive focus on Arabic content as a systematic infringement on freedom of expression.
- 04The Cyber Unit did not refer any cases to the police, and removals occurred without separate judicial decisions.
- 05The unit's actions are part of intensified prosecution measures since the start of the Gaza war.
- 0696% of incitement cases opened by police since Itamar Ben-Gvir's tenure were against Arabs.
Civil rights groups criticize this focus on Arabic content, suggesting it infringes on freedom of expression and that other forms of online incitement are ignored. The unit's actions are part of broader intensified measures since the start of the Gaza war.
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