Meta blocks human rights accounts in Saudi Arabia and UAE: free speech with limits

Meta, the mother of all social networks, is back in the spotlight. This time, it blocked human rights organizations' accounts in Saudi Arabia and the UAE — apparently to avoid upsetting local authorities.

According to Alqst, accounts of Amnesty International and other NGOs suddenly stopped appearing in users' feeds. Local activists complain their posts are only visible to followers, with no reach to new audiences.

It's particularly ironic given Meta's statements about "promoting human rights." Human rights are like Wi-Fi: everyone has it, but not really. Developers familiar with bugs in production will relate: "We'll fix it in the next update, promise."

Meta cites local laws, but it looks like trying to sit on two chairs. In the end, those trying to speak up about issues suffer.

Comment from METABYTE studio: We also block content sometimes, but only if it fails code review. Otherwise, free speech is important, but in some countries it works like a Friday evening deploy: better not to risk it.