Many hunters and hunting organizations have experienced frustration with social media platforms, such as photos being taken down or a photo being flagged as “sensitive content” when it simply shows wild animals existing in their habitat. But The Hunting Consortium recently experienced censorship of the next level, when they realized that not only had 1,500 photos been removed, but their URL had been banned on both Instagram and Facebook. Additionally, the group could not like or comment on users’ posts, nor could users share posts with another user on their own platforms.
When the issues had not been overturned as promised by Facebook Headquarters, several hunting organizations and spokespeople called out the censorship. “While several other sensitive content-related media remain up on the platform, this is but one example of the prevalent and systematic censorship of hunting. This censorship goes against the best available science on the role that legal, regulated hunting plays in conservation as recognized by conservation bodies and treaties around the world.”
But this is not an isolated case. Several hunting community members have had to pursue appeals against social media platforms due to discrimination for their videos on YouTube and paid posts on Facebook. Groups promoting legal hunting and shooting activities have had boosted posts rejected due to the presence of firearms. Often the appeals are won once they prove the firearms are presented in a legal matter, but still, sometimes the appeals are denied. On a positive note, YouTube has since added a feature to certify the legal context of guns in monetized videos.
This is but a snapshot of the censorship surrounding the hunting community across social media platforms. The Media Research Center is looking to hold Big Tech accountable. You can find their contact form on their website to let them know about your experience with censorship.
Source: Media Research Center
