International

Abortion rights groups face new wave of Meta censorship across the Americas

Suddenly, every woman who wrote to the WhatsApp number of one of Mexico’s largest abortion information organizations received the same response: silence. The account had been blocked.

Weeks later, a Colombian collective experienced the same thing.

Organizations across the Americas that provide abortion support are denouncing a new wave of censorship on Meta’s platforms — including in countries where abortion is legal. They suspect a combination of factors: changes in Meta’s content policies and coordinated reporting campaigns by anti-abortion groups targeting their posts.

The censorship is not limited to Instagram and Facebook; it also affects verified and business WhatsApp accounts, which are crucial tools for providing thousands of women with information on sexual and reproductive rights — rights recognized by the World Health Organization.

Among the affected organizations is MSI Foundation (formerly Marie Stopes), part of an international network that has been active in Mexico for over 25 years. Its WhatsApp account was suspended in February. Colombia’s Oriéntame, a group with decades of work in reproductive health, was also targeted — labeled a “dangerous organization” by Instagram in April.

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Meta often cites violations of its policies to justify account blocks, but has also admitted to errors in some cases. Since January, the company has introduced a new content moderation system based on user comments, claiming it would reduce mistakes and promote greater freedom of expression.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump claimed the policy shifts likely resulted from his criticism of the “left-leaning bias” in fact-checking mechanisms.

While conservative sectors have applauded the changes, pro-abortion organizations argue that these rules are often enforced too aggressively, possibly driven by AI-based flagging systems. As a result, many of their posts are disproportionately blocked — a trend they say has worsened since the beginning of Trump’s second term.

“It’s not always intentional censorship,” said Martha Dimitratou, co-founder of Repro Uncensored, an organization that monitors and works to bypass digital censorship of sexual and reproductive health topics. “But the outcome is still more censorship for us.”

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International

Paris prosecutors alert U.S. over alleged deepfake strategy linked to Elon Musk

The Paris Prosecutor’s Office said on Saturday that it had alerted authorities in the United States over suspicions that tech entrepreneur Elon Musk may have encouraged the spread of sexualized deepfake content on the social platform X to artificially boost the company’s valuation.

According to prosecutors, the controversy surrounding explicit AI-generated videos—reportedly linked to Grok, the platform’s artificial intelligence system—may have been deliberately triggered to increase the market value of X and X AI.

The office added that the alleged strategy could be tied to the planned June 2026 public listing of a new entity formed through the merger of SpaceX and X AI.

French authorities said they contacted the U.S. Department of Justice as well as legal representatives at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) earlier this week to share their concerns.

Responding on X in French to a report about the case, Musk referred to French prosecutors using an offensive term.

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When contacted, X’s legal representative in France did not immediately comment.

Grok, the platform’s AI system, has its own account on X, allowing users to interact with it or request content generation. For a period, users were able to tag the bot in posts to generate or edit images, a feature that may have facilitated the spread of such material.

International

Netanyahu vows to target Iran’s leadership after missile strikes in southern Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to target Iran’s leadership directly, escalating rhetoric amid ongoing hostilities between Israel and Iran.

Speaking during a visit to the southern city of Arad, which was struck by an Iranian missile a day earlier, Netanyahu said Israel would intensify its response against Tehran.

“We are going after the regime. We are going after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, that gang of criminals,” he told reporters while standing among the debris left by the தாக்க.

He added that Israel intends to strike “personally” at Iran’s leadership, as well as its facilities and economic assets.

In addition to Arad, Iranian missiles also hit the city of Dimona on Saturday. The area is widely believed to host Israel’s undeclared nuclear facilities. The strike caused significant damage following a direct impact.

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Netanyahu also visited Dimona, where he urged residents to strictly follow military instructions and seek shelter whenever warning sirens are activated.

“The entire nation is a front line, and the home front is also a front line. And when we are on the front line, we follow these instructions,” he said.

International

US panel backs Trump-themed coin amid controversy

The United States Department of the Treasury confirmed to AFP that the Commission of Fine Arts approved the design of a new collectible coin featuring Donald Trump, with members of the commission appointed by the current administration.

According to the proposal, the coin will feature an image of Trump standing with clenched fists over a desk on the obverse, while the reverse will display an eagle, a traditional symbol of the United States.

The sale price of the collectible has not yet been disclosed, although the United States Mint typically offers similar items for more than $1,000.

“There is no more iconic portrait for the front of these coins than that of our president Donald Trump,” U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach said in a statement sent to AFP. He added that two additional coins — a $1 piece and a one-ounce gold coin — are also under consideration.

However, the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC), another body responsible for reviewing new coin proposals, declined to discuss the Trump design in late February.

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“Only nations governed by kings or dictators place the image of a sitting leader on their currency,” said Donald Scarinciat the time. “No country in the world has minted coins featuring a democratically elected leader during their term in office,” he added.

When contacted by AFP, the Treasury Department did not immediately respond to requests for further comment.