Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Malaysia threatens TikTok and Facebook. Both social media platforms are accused of blocking pro-Palestinian content.
Malaysian Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil admitted to receiving reports that social media platforms owned by Bytedance and Meta were restricting the circulation of content that supports Palestine.
“If this issue continues to be ignored, I will not hesitate to take a tougher approach and position,” he said on a Twitter account now called X.
Fahmi stated that many parties in Malaysia are encouraging the government to take firm action on social media platforms that limit the circulation of pro-Palestinian content.
A Meta spokesperson stated that the claim was untrue.
“Our policies are designed to keep our users safe and give everyone a voice,” a Meta spokesperson told Reuters, quoted Friday (27/10/2023).
TikTok has not responded to a request for comment from Reuters.
Meta and TikTok designate Hamas, the armed Palestinian movement that controls Gaza, as a dangerous organization and prohibit the circulation of content that praises Hamas. Both technology companies also employ automatic detection systems and human monitors to remove or label certain content.
In response to the outbreak of war in Gaza, Meta implemented additional measures on its platforms, namely Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Monitors can now more easily take action on content that has the potential to violate terms and conditions, including by not displaying the content in feeds or recommended content.
According to Meta, the removal of content which was accused of being an act of blocking Palestinian content occurred due to technical problems unrelated to the content.
In mid-October, Meta said it had removed or labeled 800,000 pieces of Hebrew and Arabic content in the 3 days since Hamas’ attack on Israeli residents on October 7.
Meanwhile, TikTok said it had removed 775,000 videos and 14,000 streaming broadcasts since the October 7 attack.
Fahmi emphasized that Malaysian citizens have freedom of opinion regarding the Palestinian issue. He stated that he would meet with TikTok representatives in the near future.
Two weeks ago, Fahmi stated that TikTok had not complied with regulations in Malaysia and had not taken sufficient policies to prevent false content and misinformation.
[Gambas:Video CNBC]
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