KUALA LUMPUR – Meta has apologised for the removal of content from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Facebook and Instagram accounts related to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh last week, according to Reuters.
“We apologise for an operational error where content from the Prime Minister’s Facebook and Instagram Pages was removed, and the content has since been restored with the correct newsworthy label,” a Meta spokesperson said.
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil and Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) chairman Tan Sri Mohamad Salim Fateh Din had met with Meta representatives yesterday.
During the meeting, they demanded an apology from Meta over its removal of two Facebook posts by the prime minister on the late Hamas leader.
“This unilateral censorship, without context consideration, has prompted questions about the transparency of Meta’s content moderation policies.
“It also viewed the removal as an affront to the legitimate struggle of the Palestinian people in their pursuit of justice and human rights,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement.
PMO also expressed its dismay at the suspension of the live broadcast of the Palestinian Liberation Rally held on Sunday via Facebook through Berita RTM’s account.
Scoop reported last week that Meta’s top officials will be in Malaysia this week to explain its decision to remove Anwar’s posts on Haniyeh’s assassination after the prime minister blasted the company for its actions.
Anwar also issued a firm reminder to Meta not to be a tool of the Zionist regime. – August 6, 2024