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02.07.2024 / News /

The digital class struggle in peril: Facebook and X/Twitter shut down UVW accounts

United Voices of the World (UVW) is facing a troubling AI-driven crackdown on our digital presence. Both X/Twitter and Facebook have taken unprecedented actions against UVW’s accounts, silencing our voice and hindering our efforts to advocate for workers’ rights. UVW had used the social media platforms to rally support for our actions and raise tens of thousands of pounds to support the strikes of predominantly migrant workers.

UVW had over 20,000 followers on X/Twitter and 13,000 followers on Facebook prior to the social media platforms deleting and unpublishing the accounts. These platforms were crucial for amplifying the voices of low-paid, migrant, and precarious workers and for mobilising support for their struggles for dignity, equality, and respect.

Facebook abruptly unpublished UVW’s page without any prior warning, reason, or right of appeal. When searching for our page, it is now impossible to find. Facebook’s only justification for this action was a vague statement that “United Voices of the World goes against our Community Standards,” with no specific examples provided. This decision has erased a decade of predominantly Black, brown, and migrant workers’ voices and a treasured archive spanning over 10 years of UVW’s work and activities.

In early January 2024, X/Twitter deleted UVW’s account. Despite there being no justification for this deletion, X/Twitter has refused to reinstate our page, leaving us without a crucial platform to share our message and engage with our community.

These actions by Facebook and X/Twitter appear to be part of a broader crackdown on UVW. Operating on a shoestring budget and unable to pay for social media accounts, UVW has been unable to access human support to resolve these issues.

Silencing our union is yet another example of the structural racism and stamping on working people our members experience every day. What’s happened to our accounts shows the need for the workers’ movement to move away from corporate-owned social media platforms.

UVW remains committed to seeking justice and visibility for our members and will continue to fight against this unwarranted suppression of our voice. We are in the process of appealing the decision to unpublish our Facebook Page but are concerned about the precedent these actions set for the future of digital campaigning.

Follow us while you can on the following social media networks: Instagram, TikTok and YouTube! as wll as as our new X/Twitter account.

Join our Solidarity Network to hear from us and support our members’ struggles directly.

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