Meta platforms just apologized for deleting social media posts belonging to Maylaysia’s PM, Anwar Ibrahim.
The incident has raised alarm around the globe, especially considering the sensitive theme of the post. It was a condolence to Hamas for the assassination of its leader, Ismail Haniyeh.
The tech giant says it’s deeply apologetic for the act, claiming it was just an operational mistake and shouldn’t be taken otherwise. However, the news comes at a time when the company is under fire for censorship.
As a part of its apology, Meta tried to explain in more detail how the mistake was rectified and the posts restored. They blamed the system for mislabeling the posts but now, the right ‘newsworthy label’ is added.
Since day one, Facebook’s parent firm has considered Hamas a dangerous group. This is why they ban all content praising or tagging them. Therefore, the system makes use of human moderation and automated detection to carry out reviews. Any material found to be graphic or explicit is deleted.
The posts date back to July 31 when a video recording of the PM having a condolence conversation with another Hamas official was published. It also featured an image from the recent meeting he had with the slain leader in Qatar. Other than that, there was a message of condolence.
Interestingly, this is the second incident that Meta has encountered with the leadership in Malaysia. They have since then condemned the company’s actions and labeled the decision unjustified and discriminatory. Furthermore, Malaysia accused Meta of suppressing users’ freedom of speech.
Now, the country’s minister for communications will meet reps from Meta to get a better explanation as to what went wrong. Meanwhile, another incident took place in May of this year. Here, posts made by the PM on Facebook were deleted. They included pictures of the PM meeting the slain Hamas leader.
Meta tried to again justify the incident as an error on their part, issuing another similar apology in public.
The fact that Malaysia has one of the biggest Muslim populations in the world and has raised its voice against the Palestinian oppression in Gaza means a lot. This is why many are certain it keeps getting targeted by Meta with hundreds of posts getting censored.
Malaysia vows to take strict action against Meta if such actions continue in the future.
Image: DIW
Read next: X Responds To Boycotts By Filing Antitrust Lawsuit Against GARM And WFA
The incident has raised alarm around the globe, especially considering the sensitive theme of the post. It was a condolence to Hamas for the assassination of its leader, Ismail Haniyeh.
The tech giant says it’s deeply apologetic for the act, claiming it was just an operational mistake and shouldn’t be taken otherwise. However, the news comes at a time when the company is under fire for censorship.
As a part of its apology, Meta tried to explain in more detail how the mistake was rectified and the posts restored. They blamed the system for mislabeling the posts but now, the right ‘newsworthy label’ is added.
Since day one, Facebook’s parent firm has considered Hamas a dangerous group. This is why they ban all content praising or tagging them. Therefore, the system makes use of human moderation and automated detection to carry out reviews. Any material found to be graphic or explicit is deleted.
The posts date back to July 31 when a video recording of the PM having a condolence conversation with another Hamas official was published. It also featured an image from the recent meeting he had with the slain leader in Qatar. Other than that, there was a message of condolence.
Interestingly, this is the second incident that Meta has encountered with the leadership in Malaysia. They have since then condemned the company’s actions and labeled the decision unjustified and discriminatory. Furthermore, Malaysia accused Meta of suppressing users’ freedom of speech.
Now, the country’s minister for communications will meet reps from Meta to get a better explanation as to what went wrong. Meanwhile, another incident took place in May of this year. Here, posts made by the PM on Facebook were deleted. They included pictures of the PM meeting the slain Hamas leader.
Meta tried to again justify the incident as an error on their part, issuing another similar apology in public.
The fact that Malaysia has one of the biggest Muslim populations in the world and has raised its voice against the Palestinian oppression in Gaza means a lot. This is why many are certain it keeps getting targeted by Meta with hundreds of posts getting censored.
Malaysia vows to take strict action against Meta if such actions continue in the future.
Read next: X Responds To Boycotts By Filing Antitrust Lawsuit Against GARM And WFA
