Meta says Malaysian PM Anwar’s posts on Haniyeh assassination were removed in error

KUALA LUMPUR – Meta Platforms apologised on Aug 6 for erroneously removing Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s social media posts in which he expressed condolences to a Hamas official about the

assassination of the group’s leader Ismail Haniyeh

.

Meta was sorry for “an operational error”, adding that the content had been restored with “the correct newsworthy label”, a Meta spokesperson told Reuters.

The US social media giant designates Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement that governs Gaza, as a “dangerous organisation” and bans content praising the group. It uses a mix of automated detection and human review to remove or label graphic visuals.

Datuk Seri Anwar posted on Facebook and Instagram on July 31 a video recording of his phone call with a Hamas official to offer condolences over Haniyeh’s death. He also posted a picture from his last meeting with Haniyeh in Qatar in May, along with a condolence message.

It was the second run-in Meta has had with the Malaysian government, which called the takedown of the posts unjust, discriminatory and a suppression of free speech.

Malaysia’s Communications Minister and members of the Prime Minister’s Office

met Meta representatives on Aug 5 to seek an explanation

.

In a similar incident in May, Meta restored Facebook posts by Mr Anwar over his meeting with Haniyeh, saying they were taken down in error.

Muslim-majority Malaysia, a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause, has warned that firm action could be taken against Meta and other social media companies if they blocked pro-Palestinian content on their platforms. REUTERS