A former senior Israeli government official, now serving as Meta’s Israel policy chief, has been reportedly involved in censoring Instagram accounts of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), a group organizing campus protests against Israel’s military actions in Gaza, according to a detailed report by The Intercept.
Throughout the year, Jordana Cutler, Meta’s head of Israel & Jewish Diaspora policy, flagged multiple SJP UCLA posts on the Meta platform. PHOTO: PIXABAY
Internal Flagging
Jordana Cutler, Meta’s head of Israel & Jewish Diaspora policy, flagged at least four SJP posts for review, as per internal policy discussions seen by The Intercept. Cutler used Meta’s Dangerous Organisations and Individuals policy, which prohibits discussion of a secret list of blacklisted entities, though it allows for “social and political discourse” and “commentary.”
While it is unclear if Cutler’s attempts were successful, Meta declined to comment on the fate of the flagged posts. Although Cutler lacks the authority to remove content herself, a separate moderation team handles these decisions. Experts have voiced concerns about a senior official representing government interests in decisions affecting user content.
“It screams bias,” said Marwa Fatafta, a policy adviser at digital rights group Access Now. Meta spokesperson Dani Lever stated that flagging content for review follows policy guidelines, with a separate team of experts assessing if it violates standards.
Government Ties and Influence
Cutler joined Meta in 2016 after a lengthy career in the Israeli government, including roles at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., and as an adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. She has openly discussed her role as a liaison between Meta and the Israeli government, advocating for its interests within the company.
In 2017, she told an Israeli business outlet that Facebook worked closely with the Ministry of Justice and Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, Shin Bet, on content removal. In a 2020 profile, she described her job as representing both Facebook to Israel and Israel to Facebook, ensuring the government’s concerns were heard.
Flagged Content and Broader Efforts
Documents reviewed by The Intercept show Cutler pushed for the removal of SJP posts promoting a reading list featuring authors associated with the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). She also flagged posts quoting Palestinian novelist Ghassan Kanafani and a post describing Leila Khaled, a former PFLP member, as “empowering.”
Cutler targeted SJP’s Instagram posts at UCLA, alleging connections to violent protests, and flagged a news report about a confrontation at the university’s Gaza solidarity encampment. SJP members reported periodic issues with posting or sharing content, attributing it to Meta’s enforcement actions.
Concerns About Influence and Moderation
Cutler’s actions have raised concerns about the impartiality of Meta’s moderation processes. Former Facebook Middle East and North Africa policy chief Ashraf Zeitoon described Cutler’s actions as typical overreach. He suggested that escalations flagged by Cutler likely received preferential treatment.
Comparisons have been drawn to Ankhi Das, Meta’s former policy head in India, who resigned in 2020 following bias accusations. Critics argue that Meta’s influence network extends notably through Israel and India, impacting the platform’s global communication landscape.
Cutler’s name has been mentioned as a potential head of Israel’s Strategic Affairs Ministry, involved in using Meta platforms to monitor and discredit activists abroad. Content moderation expert Evelyn Douek from Stanford Law School highlighted Cutler’s interventions as raising “extremely concerning” questions about Meta’s moderation practices.
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