Palestinian Social Media Accounts Seeking Funds Flagged as Spam | Technology

Hanin Al-Batsh estimates that over the past six months, he has created more than 80 accounts on Bluesky.

Like many other Palestinians struggling to secure food in Gaza, Albatos hopes that Blue skiing will help her raise enough funds for flour and milk for her children as part of her crowdfunding efforts.

She shared that posting to text-based social networks has become even more critical as Israel tightens its hold on Gaza, leading to widespread starvation.

“Hello, my kids are getting weaker, losing weight, and suffering from malnutrition and low iron levels,” said Al-Batsh in her most recent post.

Images shared with The Guardian by the young mother reveal her two sons, Ahmed, aged 1.5, and Adam, who is three, lying on a makeshift bed on the floor of the warehouse where they are taking shelter.

As hunger proliferates across Gaza and aid remains scarce, Palestinians are increasingly looking to crowdfunding platforms like Gofundme and Chuffed as their lifelines.

However, their attempts to promote their campaigns on social media often result in their accounts being shut down or flagged as spam, particularly on Bluesky, the emerging alternative to Twitter in Gaza.

According to her, Bluesky deactivated almost all of Al-Batsh’s accounts just days later, with the longest one remaining active for only 12 days.

When a social network such as Bluesky flags an account as spam, she feels compelled to establish a new account, reassuring potential donors that she is not a bot.

To combat bots and fraud, the shutdowns ironically compel Blueski users to rely on tagging the same individuals who previously engaged with them in an attempt to counter bots and fraud.

Although Al-Batsh refrains from tagging individuals in every post after receiving strict instructions from Bluesky, she expresses frustration, stating, “Now no one can find my posts.”

Desperation drives many Palestinians to act like bots. With new accounts, it becomes increasingly challenging for individuals like Al-Batsh to refute accusations of being automated accounts; fewer followers and repetitive tagging can trigger suspicions.

Nevertheless, grassroots responses to the issue have emerged. Since May, Al-Batsh has started marking her posts with a green checkmark emoji and the phrase “verified by Molly Shah.”

A small group of volunteers assist her with similar tasks on Bluesky. Comparable initiatives are taking place across various social media platforms, with some run by larger teams of volunteers. X and Instagram have Gazafunds and Radio Watermelon, while Tumblr has Gaza Vetters.

Despite this, Shah expresses her desire for a more structured system, stating, “This is too much focus on me.”

Guerrilla Verification Network

Shah has been involved with Blueski since its early days.

Thus began her verification project. She encouraged her friend Jamal to set up a Bluesky account to share posts for her campaign, hoping to draw attention to it in 2023. Jamal managed to raise enough money to leave Gaza.

Shah’s verification project gained momentum as more individuals from Gaza joined the social network. Many reached out to her, hoping that she would share their campaigns with her substantial follower base of 57,000. She began vetting the individuals and families behind each campaign before sharing their information, paving the way for her guerrilla verification network.

Today, Shah maintains spreadsheets for over 300 accounts that she has verified. They use the same authentication badge as Al-Batsh, labeling their posts and profile pages with “Validated by Molly Shah.” While this stamp does not entirely prevent Bluesky’s system from flagging accounts as spam, she hopes it helps reassure users that the account owner is genuine.

“The validation appears to help people recognize that these are real individuals,” Shah stated. “My main goal is not to fundraise; it’s about combatting the ongoing and systemic dehumanization of Palestinians.”

Shah mentioned that the review process is not standardized and allows video calls. She accepts documents from people she has already vetted or knows personally to validate their identity and confirm their presence in Gaza. This process is time-consuming; Al-Batsh reported waiting two months for a response from Shah. Occasionally, Shah encounters individuals who falsely claim to be from Gaza or misrepresent their circumstances, but most are genuine people seeking assistance.

Crucial Fraud Prevention

According to aid and human rights organizations, Gaza is facing unprecedented levels of hunger, increasing the stakes for fundraising campaigns and amplifying the importance of every Bluesky post. Duaa al-Madoon, another mother in Gaza, recently shared her struggles to feed her three children and mentioned that she also deleted her Bluesky account. The cost of flour, milk, and diapers can reach $100 daily when available; recently, she has found it challenging to locate diapers and milk, going days without eating to ensure her children are fed.

“My child has no proper diaper, causing severe rashes. Food is scarce and exorbitantly priced. If you manage to get something, it’s mainly rice,” lamented Al-Madoon.

According to Nat Calhoun, who has supported several families in Gaza through a campaign, the impact of fundraising can be immediate. In one case, a family contacted them about an elderly woman in Mawasi who had not eaten for several days. They were able to raise $110 to supply her with flour and sent her the funds the next day.

“It can be instantaneous,” Calhoun noted. “I don’t think people realize how much their support can genuinely impact someone’s day.”

To receive funds raised through campaigns, Palestinians must collaborate with ‘recipients.’ Individuals outside Gaza initiate campaigns, collect funds on their behalf, and transfer money through banks because the payment processor used by the platform does not operate in Gaza.

This system necessitates that Palestinians place substantial trust in these intermediaries, individuals they have never met.

Consequently, campaigns and the Palestinians they aim to assist are vulnerable to fraud.

Calhoun and Shah noted that much of the fraud they encounter exploits vulnerable Palestinians.

Al-Batsh’s initial campaign on GoFundMe was organized by a woman who claimed to be located in Tucson, Arizona. The campaign raised almost $37,000, but Al-Batsh only received about $34,000 before the campaign organizer faced issues accessing her account. “I have never received the remaining funds,” Al-Batsh lamented.

“The thought of it is maddening,” said Calhoun. “Because the people of Gaza cannot fundraise independently. They are at the mercy of others and must trust that those people will treat them fairly.”

Requesting Changes from Bluesky

Bluesky’s spam filters often obstruct donations. Ad hoc verification systems like Shah’s provide a level of assurance that the funds donated are directed to legitimate individuals in Gaza rather than fraudulent entities.

When Shah shares a campaign, the difference is noticeable. Al-Batsh’s campaign garnered 10 donations ranging from $5 to $505 within just two days of her sharing it, compared to an average of two or three donations per day prior.

Although her validation network has helped some Palestinians maintain their online presence, Shah admits that it is not a sustainable solution. Overwhelmed by requests, she has limited her sharing to one account daily.

Meanwhile, thousands of Bluesky users have signed open letters urging the platform to enhance its moderation practices.

“We understand that when posting a fundraising link, Gazans may trigger Bluesky’s automated spam filters,” states an open letter signed by 7,000 individuals. “However, just as the platform addresses spam from T-shirt bots, failing to accommodate a vulnerable group is not only cruel but exacerbates their struggles for survival.”

Bluesky stated in response to the open letter that it is committed to ensuring that the voices of Gaza residents are heard on its platform. However, they noted that certain account activities violated community guidelines and urged users to focus their efforts through verified accounts.

Bluesky has not responded to requests for comment.

“We acknowledge that we may not always make the right moderation decisions, which is why we have an appeals process,” the statement continued. However, Shah and others advocating for Gaza residents say very few receive responses when filing appeals, making it challenging for Palestinians to maintain account access beyond a brief period.

Shah noted that Bluesky had an opportunity to improve its moderation systems in the early days of the conflict in Gaza when fewer users were on the platform. She hopes they seized that opportunity.

“It seems that Bluesky is saying, ‘we’re eliminating spammers,’ but it’s the very people we are striving to protect who are being targeted,” she concluded.