Meta has introduced a warning message on Facebook and Instagram that is displayed when users search for information about migration, including the Spanish exclave of Ceuta. Users are urged to exercise caution and at the same time are provided with a link to information on how to move to another country.

The feature has attracted attention following the large-scale migration crisis in Ceuta, where tens of thousands of people attempted to cross from Morocco into the Spanish exclave at the end of July. According to information published in recent days, around 5,000–8,000 migrants are still in Ceuta after the mass crossing.

Facebook and Instagram now display the message “Be careful when searching for migration information” when a user searches for “Ceuta.” From there, the option for “migration info” is offered, leading to a page titled “Help is available if you want to move to a new country.”

Meta simultaneously denies that the feature is intended to help people cross borders illegally. The company says the message is instead meant to warn against illegal migration and human traffickers and to refer users to legal and legitimate sources of information.

READ ALSO: Moroccan crackdown stopped new wave of illegals to Ceuta

The relevant help page is found in Meta’s own help center. There, it is stated that the information was prepared in consultation with international organizations. The page includes information on legal migration and referrals to the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration, IOM.

It is precisely this referral that has sparked criticism. The Center for Immigration Studies, an American think tank advocating for a more restrictive migration policy, argues that by determining which sources of information users are presented with in connection with migration searches, Meta takes a more active role than a neutral search engine.

Migrations-restrictive NumbersUSA has also criticized the system.

Monitoring the Flow

The criticism coincides with Meta indeed taking a more active role in the management of content related to Ceuta. On August 16, Spanish outlet Cadena SER reported that Meta and TikTok have reinforced control over content encouraging new attempts to cross from Morocco into Ceuta.

Posts urging a new mass crossing have started to be monitored and are removed when judged to be organizing or encouraging illegal border crossings.

The background is that social media played a significant role during the migration crisis at the end of July. Calls and rumors that the border to Ceuta was open were spread on platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. The EU has therefore pressured the platforms to step up monitoring and fact-checking of migration-related content.

Meta and TikTok have agreed to take voluntary measures to counter false information that could encourage people to undertake dangerous border crossings.

New attempts to reach Ceuta have continued as well. On Monday, the Associated Press reported that Moroccan security forces had detained nearly 300 people who tried to reach the Spanish exclave. The arrests came after new calls for mass crossings circulated on social media.

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Demanding Asylum

Meanwhile, hundreds of migrants already in Ceuta have protested and demanded asylum, as well as opposed being sent back to Morocco. Reuters reported on August 16 that between 5,000 and 8,000 people remained in the exclave after the earlier mass crossing.

Meta’s new warning function thus lands in the middle of a broader discussion about the role of social media in migration. The company describes it as a safety measure intended to steer people away from illegal migration and smuggling.

Critics argue, however, that it is problematic that one of the world’s largest social media platforms actively selects migration-related information and at the same time links users to organizations working with migration and asylum.

READ ALSO: Doctors sound alarm after Ceuta chaos: “We see raped girls”