Facebook and Holocaust denial

Cohen-Almagor, Raphael

Abstract

In this article, I take issue with Facebook’s policy that allows Holocaust denial on its web pages because its directors believe that Holocaust denial is not hateful per se. I aim to show that it is hateful and that Facebook and other networking sites should reconsider their position in line with their own terms of conduct. All Internet providers and web-hosting companies whose terms of service disallow hateful messages on their servers should not host or provide forums for such hate-mongering. This is of paramount importance as Holocaust denial is prevalent in Europe, in the United States, and across Arab and Muslim parts of the world. While some countries, mainly in Europe, prohibit Holocaust denial by law, other countries have no such prohibitions. The question, however, is not only legal. It is also ethical and a matter of social responsibility for Internet service providers (ISP) and Web-Hosting Services (WHS) to decide whether or not they wish to host this kind of hate speech on their servers.

Citation

Cohen-Almagor, R. (2015). Facebook and Holocaust denial. Justice magazine, 57(Winter), 10-16

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 25, 2015
• Publication Date: 2015
• Deposit Date: May 4, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: May 4, 2016
• Journal: Justice
• Publisher: International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 57
• Issue: Winter
• Pages: 10-16
• Keywords: Facebook, Holocaust denial, Internet service providers (ISP), Web-Hosting Services (WHS)
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/437626
• Publisher URL: http://intjewishlawyers.org/justice/no57/#10
• Additional Information: Copy of article: Raphael Cohen-Almagor, Facebook and Holocaust denial, v.57 Winter, Justice pages 10-16 (2015-2016). Justice is the magazine published by The International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists (IAJLJ).