According to Malaysia's communications minister, TikTok and Meta will receive a warning from the country's communications commission for allegedly removing pro-Palestinian content from their platforms.
Following comments from Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil that social media networks had been accused of limiting posts supporting the Palestinians, Meta has subsequently clarified that it was not purposefully stifling opinions on its Facebook platform, according to Reuters.
Without going into further detail, Fahmi said that several parties had requested the government to firmly punish social media companies for allegedly limiting pro-Palestinian information.
There was "no truth" to the assertion, according to a Meta representative. Requests for comment from TikTok did not immediately receive a response.
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The Right to Freedom of Expression
Regarding the Palestinian struggle, Fahmi asserted that Malaysians have a right to freedom of expression and that this right will not be restricted. Next week, he added, he would meet with TikTok executives to talk about the situation.
Concerns have been raised two weeks after Fahmi said that TikTok had not completely complied with Malaysian legislation and had not taken sufficient steps to reduce offensive or deceptive material. In response, TikTok stated that it would take the initiative to resolve the concerns brought up.
Fadzil said there is evidence that the social media network TikTok has routinely banned information about the Israel-Palestine conflict from Malaysia.
According to Bernama, he claimed that the proof corroborated the numerous complaints his ministry had received from people who claimed that their live broadcasts and films on the subject had been blocked or taken down.
Videos of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's address from the "Malaysia Stands with Palestine" demonstration, which took place on Tuesday at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, were among them, he said.
Fahmi claimed to have asked the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to summon TikTok for a meeting to discuss the situation and give a severe warning to the social media network.
A meeting with Meta will also be scheduled after a fictitious communication about limitations on material relating to "solidarity with Palestine" was received.
Additionally, over the past several weeks, Instagram has taken down photos and prohibited hashtags related to Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, one of the holiest sites in Islam, since the platform's content moderation algorithm incorrectly linked the location to a classification it reserves for terrorist organizations.
The error is Instagram's and its parent firm Facebook's latest content moderation issue. Facebook has been under fire from people all around the world for allegedly censoring posts criticizing Israeli brutality against Palestinians.
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