Meta · Saudi Arabia · Facebook · Instagram · The Guardian Technology
Meta and Snapchat blocking Saudi dissidents’ accounts
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Major US social media companies including Meta’s Facebook and Instagram platforms have blocked the accounts of Saudi Arabian dissidents so they are no longer visible inside the kingdom, following orders by Saudi authorities.
Key facts
- Those affected include Abdullah Alaoudh, a US-based activist and vocal critic of Saudi human rights violations, and Omar Abdulaziz, a Canada and UK-based activist who worked closely with Jamal
- Alaoudh, who serves as ACMER’s senior policy adviser, said: “Meta is effectively doing Saudi Arabia’s dirty work against Americans living in the United States
- At least seven accounts had been blocked by Meta at the end of April, including those of two American citizens and two individuals based in Europe, according to the advocacy group American Committee
- Other accounts targeted include those of individuals linked to the London-based human rights organisation ALQST, including its founder, Yahya Assiri
Summary
Those affected include Abdullah Alaoudh, a US-based activist and vocal critic of Saudi human rights violations, and Omar Abdulaziz, a Canada and UK-based activist who worked closely with Jamal Khashoggi before the journalist’s murder by Saudi agents in 2018. At least seven accounts had been blocked by Meta at the end of April, including those of two American citizens and two individuals based in Europe, according to the advocacy group American Committee for Middle East Rights (ACMER). Alaoudh, who serves as ACMER’s senior policy adviser, said: “Meta is effectively doing Saudi Arabia’s dirty work against Americans living in the United States.