The Auschwitz Museum in southern Poland announced on Friday that Facebook’s moderation system had removed some of the memorial center’s posts which allegedly contained “inappropriate content.” This includes harassment, hate speech, nudity, and incitement to violence.

The Auschwitz Museum referred to such behavior as an “algorithmic erasure of history.”

“We wish to express our deep concern regarding the recent action of @facebook simultaneously flagging 21 posts published by the Auschwitz Memorial.”

The museum went on to say that it had been “met with unprecedented action at the hands of Facebook,” describing the justification for the posts’ removal as “absurd.”

“The posts in question feature nothing but respectful remembrance and historical documentation, showcasing the faces and biographical information of those who suffered and were murdered in a place that symbolizes one of the darkest chapters of human history,” the post continued.

“Despite our immediate appeal and request for review, only a fraction of the flagged posts have been reinstated,” the museum wrote.

Representatives of the Museum also reported that the post from April 6, which commemorated the fate of Jewish children from the Izieu orphanage, was swiftly deleted without the option to appeal. They emphasized that Facebook’s assertion that such posts violate community standards is entirely misleading.

Source: Case of algorithmic social media censorship of history