9. July 2026

How Meta/Instagram is silencing progressive voices

Dear readers!

Yesterday, together with the NGO Repro uncensored, I invited four inspiring women to the European Parliament for a press conference to amplify their voices and make Europe aware of how they are systematically censored on Meta’s platforms.

You can and should watch the first 15 minutes of the press conference here: https://youtu.be/-GykzH519U4 

Here is what they reported in their own words:

Martha Dimitratou, Founder & Executive Director, Repro Uncensored started:

“Big Tech platforms have become essential infrastructure for democratic participation, public health, culture and community. They shape how people access information, organise, express themselves and participate in democratic life.

At Repro Uncensored, we have documented more than 500 cases of platform censorship in 2026 alone, affecting feminist organisations, reproductive health providers, LGBTQI+ communities, artists and civil society across Europe. These are not isolated moderation decisions—they reveal a broader pattern of opaque platform governance with profound consequences for fundamental rights.

When lawful organisations are made invisible without transparency or meaningful avenues for redress, the consequences extend far beyond a single account. They undermine freedom of expression, access to information and democratic participation.

The Digital Services Act makes clear that dominant platforms have responsibilities to respect users’ rights and provide transparency and accountability. Those obligations must be enforced. The health of our digital public sphere is inseparable from the health of our democracies.”

Ky Polanco, Co-Founder & Co-Executive Director, FEMINIST, explained that their posts on women’s health reach 72% less people on Meta’s platforms than comparable posts on other topics.

“FEMINIST is an integral part of the ecosystem around reproductive rights and women’s health information. We amplify voices, educate, and inform, and give people the push they need to seek care or take action. This isn’t an algorithm failing to find the right audience. It’s a man-made system deciding, again and again, whose information gets to be seen. Gender equity is not possible under a systemically censored algorithm.”

Josie Margolis, stopcrying.josie, affected German influencer

Josie described how her account on Instagram got deleted without warning after she documented a rape case to warn women about sexual violence. Despite following all the rules, Meta AI flagged the content and thus the account for deletion. Any attempt to appeal the decision failed.

Justyna Wydrzyńska, Aborcyjny Dream Team Poland, an NGO helping women find ways to a safe abortion 

Justyna reported how, without warning, their account, along with four other organisations, got suspended. Since they use the DMs to offer assistance to women in urgent situations, this help could not be given any more, and Justyna explains how in Poland this leaves women alone in terrifying situations. Meta even suspended their autoresponder, so they couldn’t even inform women about their suspension, leaving them alone in a situation of utter hardship. As Justyna put it, “Meta is not only blocking content, they are blocking a lifeline.”

My conclusion

The reports of these inspiring women show: Across Europe, Meta is not just moderating content – it is quietly sidelining feminist, queer and pro-democracy voices while its algorithms push misogyny and hate into millions of feeds. That is not a glitch; it is political censorship and a clear breach of the Digital Services Act. The European Commission must fully enforce the DSA, investigate Meta, and make clear that in Europe, our fundamental rights are not optional for Big Tech.

The examples we heard today were centred around women’s rights, but the censorship goes much further. Civil society organisations, environmentalists, artists and many more are censored by Meta in clear breach of the DSA, which mandates an internal complaint-handling system and the possibility to appeal to those decisions.

What really makes me angry is that the EU Commission is aware of the lack of a complaint-handling system. They admitted this in response to a written question I asked them. But since they found out in 2025, nothing has happened to stop Meta from censoring voices and systematically breaching EU law.

While Meta is running campaign after campaign to accuse the EU of censorship, on their own platform, censorship is deliberate and systematic against progressive causes.

I urge the EU Commission to act quickly. To help with that, please, share the content on the press conference as widely as you can to build up pressure:

Thank you for your support.

Your Alexandra Geese

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