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Families of the victims of 7 October demand billions from Meta for live coverage of Hamas attacks

Class action lawsuit worth over €1 billion against Facebook and Instagram for live streaming of horrific videos during the terrorist attack

The families of the victims of the terrorist attack carried out by Hamas on 7 October 2023 have filed an official request with the Tel Aviv District Court to initiate a class action lawsuit against Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. The lawsuit, worth a total of over 4 billion shekels (more than 1 billion euros), points the finger at the social media platform’s content management, accusing it of broadcasting live videos containing atrocities committed by Palestinian militants.

The plaintiffs claim that, through live streams on Facebook and Instagram, they learned with horror that their loved ones had been killed or kidnapped during the assault, experiencing trauma exacerbated by the uncontrolled dissemination of the most violent and shocking images. The complaint highlights how Meta failed to exercise effective control over the sharing of extremely sensitive content, indirectly contributing to the suffering of the families affected.

This class action raises important questions about the role and responsibility of digital platforms in filtering and managing potentially harmful content, especially in contexts of conflict and terrorism. While social media are powerful communication tools, their lack of or insufficient oversight can become an additional source of psychological harm to victims and their families.

The ongoing legal proceedings in Tel Aviv will be closely watched as a possible precedent for future similar disputes, globally, in which large technology companies may be called to account for their role in the dissemination of violent or harmful content. In the meantime, the case sheds critical light on the balance between freedom of expression, speed of information and protection of victims in scenarios of war and terrorism.

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