Meta apologized for the mistaken removal of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s social media posts. He had posted a video and a picture offering condolences to Hamas on July 31. According to the company, this was an “operational error.” It has since restored the content.
Anwar Ibrahim’s posts were taken down from Facebook and Instagram after showing empathy over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. This saw the Malaysian government demanding an explanation from Meta over the removal, which they blasted as unfair and amounting to suppressing free speech.
Meta, which keeps the designation of Hamas as a “dangerous organization”, forbids content in support of the group. It uses automated systems and reviews by human moderators to police and remove content. That process is not perfect and sometimes results in wrongful deletions.
This is the second time Meta has locked horns with the Malaysian government. In May, Meta had already restored the previous posts by Anwar on his meeting with Haniyeh. The social media giant said it had made a mistake and apologized for the error.
The recent Meta apologized has posed various content moderation challenges with freedom of speech. The corrective actions that the company took regarding the issue showed a sense of commitment toward rectifying mistakes and improving the review procedures.
