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Meta’s handling of ‘SpongeBob’ Holocaust denial post is taken up by independent Oversight Board

(JTA) — Meta’s independent Oversight Board is scrutinizing a post featuring a “SpongeBob SquarePants” character, in what could be a landmark case for how its platforms Facebook and Instagram moderate Holocaust denial.

The board, which issues non-binding rulings on the company’s moderation decisions, announced on Thursday that it has taken up a case involving the company’s response to complaints about a meme posted in September 2020.

In the meme, the character Squidward appears next to a speech bubble with neo-Nazi talking points disputing the Holocaust, under the title “Fun Facts About The Holocaust.” The anonymous user behind the post, who has about 9,000 followers, appears to have borrowed a popular meme template known as “Fun Facts With Squidward.” The post falsely stated that the Holocaust couldn’t have happened because the infrastructure for carrying out the genocide was not built until after World War II, among other lies and distortions.

Users complained about the post both before and after the company enacted a ban on Holocaust denial in October 2020, the month after the post went up. But Meta had rejected all of their complaints, saying that the post did not violate community standards on hate speech.

In a statement responding to the Oversight Board’s announcement, the company said it had erred and has now removed the post, which had been viewed by about 1,000 people. Fewer than 1,000 had “liked” it, the company said.

The Oversight Board will investigate why the post stayed up for so long. Its decision to take up the case means the board attaches significance to the criticism that existing rules and practices do not adequately address the wide range of forms in which antisemitism and Holocaust denial appear on Meta’s platforms.

To start, the board has asked for public comment about a number of issues related to the company’s responsibility for the content appearing on its platforms. These larger issues involve research into what harm results from online Holocaust denial; how Meta’s responsibilities relate to questions of dignity, security and freedom of expression; and the use of automation in reviewing content for hate speech.

Social media platforms have come under fire and faced boycotts accusing them of facilitating the spread of antisemitism, racism and extremism for years, with many Jewish groups lobbying for stricter controls on online speech. In 2018, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg seemed to defend the right of users to post content featuring Holocaust denial on free speech grounds, but the company reversed course in 2020 and implemented a ban — and a new challenge soon emerged. The platform’s automated algorithms sometimes flagged educational materials about the Holocaust and removed them for violating community standards.

Automated reviews played a role in keeping the Squidward post online. Users complained about it six times — four times before the Holocaust denial ban went into place and twice after. According to the Oversight Board, Meta’s automated review process rejected some of the complaints, ruling that the post was compliant with its policies, while other complaints were shot down by a new pandemic-related policy that screened for “high risk” cases only. Both humans and algorithms were involved in the decisions, the board said.


The post Meta’s handling of ‘SpongeBob’ Holocaust denial post is taken up by independent Oversight Board appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

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Israeli Strike on Tehran Kills Bodyguard of Slain Hezbollah Chief

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi lays a wreath as he visits the burial site of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, on the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon, June 3, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

A member of Lebanese armed group Hezbollah was killed in an Israeli air strike on Tehran alongside a member of an Iran-aligned Iraqi armed group, a senior Lebanese security source told Reuters and the Iraqi group said on Saturday.

The source identified the Hezbollah member as Abu Ali Khalil, who had served as a bodyguard for Hezbollah’s slain chief Hassan Nasrallah. The source said Khalil had been on a religious pilgrimage to Iraq when he met up with a member of the Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada group.

They traveled together to Tehran and were both killed in an Israeli strike there, along with Khalil’s son, the senior security source said. Hezbollah has not joined in Iran’s air strikes against Israel from Lebanon.

Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada published a statement confirming that both the head of its security unit and Khalil had been killed in an Israeli strike.

Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli aerial attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs in September.

Israel and Iran have been trading strikes for nine consecutive days since Israel launched attacks on Iran, saying Tehran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran has said it does not seek nuclear weapons.

The post Israeli Strike on Tehran Kills Bodyguard of Slain Hezbollah Chief first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Hamas Financial Officer and Commander Eliminated by IDF in the Gaza Strip

Israeli soldiers operate during a ground operation in the southern Gaza Strip, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, July 3, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS

i24 News – The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), in cooperation with the General Security Service (Shin Bet), announced on Friday the killing of Ibrahim Abu Shamala, a senior financial official in Hamas’ military wing.

The operation took place on June 17th in the central Gaza Strip.

Abu Shamala held several key positions, including financial officer for Hamas’ military wing and assistant to Marwan Issa, the deputy commander of Hamas’ military wing until his elimination in March 2024.

He was responsible for managing all the financial resources of Hamas’ military wing in Gaza, overseeing the planning and execution of the group’s war budget. This involved handling and smuggling millions of dollars into the Gaza Strip to fund Hamas’ military operations.

The post Hamas Financial Officer and Commander Eliminated by IDF in the Gaza Strip first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Report: Wary of Assassination by Israel, Khamenei Names 3 Potential Successors

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, May 20, 2025. Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS

i24 News – Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei named three senior clerics as candidates to succeed him should he be killed, the New York Times reported on Saturday citing unnamed Iranian officials. It is understood the Ayatollah fears he could be assassinated in the coming days.

Khamenei reportedly mostly speaks with his commanders through a trusted aide now, suspending electronic communications.

Khamenei has designated three senior religious figures as candidates to replace him as well as choosing successors in the military chain of command in the likely event that additional senior officials be eliminated.

Earlier on Saturday Israel confirmed the elimination of Saeed Izadi and Bhanam Shahriari.

Shahriari, head of Iran’s Quds Force Weapons Transfer Unit, responsible for arming Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, was killed in an Israeli airstrike over 1,000 km from Israel in western Iran.

The post Report: Wary of Assassination by Israel, Khamenei Names 3 Potential Successors first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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