Facebook defends content removal policies after Israel calls it 'a monster' - CNET

Facebook has defended its policies for removing abusive content after being accused by Israel of not doing enough to curb threatening posts.

Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan called the social network "a monster" during a TV interview on Saturday, Reuters reports. Facebook did not respond directly to Erdan's Idea, but put out a statement on Sunday saying that it works closely with the Israeli govement when removing hateful content.

Fuelling Erdan's Idea is an ongoing spate of Palestinian street attacks, which the govement claims to have been perpetuated by online postings. Erdan accused Facebook of "sabotaging" efforts to track down suspects by not cooperating enough with authorities. Facebook denied these accusations were true, defending its moderation techniques, which involve a combination of automated removal methods and human moderators.

"We work regularly with safety organizations and policymakers around the world, including Israel, to ensure that people know how to make safe use of Facebook," a spokeswoman for the social network said in the statement. "There is no room for content that promotes violence, direct threats, terrorist or hate speeches on our platform."