Major US social media companies blocked accounts of Saudi dissidents so the accounts were no longer visible inside Saudi Arabia after requests by Saudi authorities. The blocked accounts included Abdullah Alaoudh, a US-based activist critical of Saudi human rights practices, and Omar Abdulaziz, a Canada and UK-based activist who worked with Jamal Khashoggi before his 2018 murder. At least seven accounts were blocked by Meta by the end of April, including two American citizens and two people based in Europe, according to ACMER. Meta said it may restrict content reported as violating local law but not its community standards, and it may inform users about requests from state authorities. Meta’s transparency center recorded Saudi requests affecting 144 Instagram and Facebook items in April, with access restricted to 108 items.
"Major US social media companies including Meta's Facebook and Instagram platforms have blocked the accounts of Saudi Arabian dissidents so they are no longer visible inside the kingdom, following orders by Saudi authorities. Those affected include Abdullah Alaoudh, a US-based activist and vocal critic of Saudi human rights violations, and Omar Abdulaziz, a Canada and UK-based activist who worked closely with Jamal Khashoggi before the journalist's murder by Saudi agents in 2018."
"At least seven accounts had been blocked by Meta at the end of April, including those of two American citizens and two individuals based in Europe, according to the advocacy group American Committee for Middle East Rights (ACMER). Alaoudh, who serves as ACMER's senior policy advisor, said: Meta is effectively doing Saudi Arabia's dirty work against Americans living in the United States. When a company geo-blocks accounts on behalf of a government with a documented record of silencing dissent, it becomes an instrument of repression. Meta should push back."
"Meta did not respond to the dirty work claim, but provided a statetment to the Guardian saying that when something happens on one of its platforms that is reported as violating local law but not the companies' own community standards, the company may restrict the content's availability in the country where it is alleged to be unlawful. It added that in a majority of cases it informs affected users which state authorities sent the requests."
"Meta operates a public transparency center, where it acknowledges that Saudi authorities contacted the company and sought restrictions on a total of 144 Instagram accounts, Facebook pages, and Facebook profiles during April. The site also shows that Meta restricted access to 108 items. Interviews with some of the dissidents targeted suggest the companies approached by Saudi authorities did not all respond in the same way."
Read at www.theguardian.com
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