Facebook removes new Hamas leader bio amid Instagram ban in Türkiye

Facebook has removed a Turkish online newspaper T24’s article about Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, citing violations of community standards, while Instagram remains inaccessible in Türkiye, intensifying concerns over media censorship and freedom of expression.

What happened

• Article and removal: On Aug. 7, 2024, T24 published a biography of Yahya Sinwar, the newly appointed Hamas leader, under the headline: “Hamas’s new political leader who spent 23 years in Israeli prisons.” This article was part of an ongoing content partnership with the BBC to provide comprehensive coverage of key global figures.
• Facebook’s action: The article was removed from Facebook shortly after publication. Meta, Facebook’s parent company, stated that the removal was due to the content’s violation of community standards concerning “dangerous individuals and organizations.” According to Meta, the article’s subject matter was deemed to promote or support groups and individuals that are classified as dangerous under their platform’s policies.
• Meta’s contradictory policies: Meta’s community standards on dangerous individuals and organizations are designed to prevent the promotion of violence and hate speech. However, critics argue that these standards are often applied inconsistently and can lead to the suppression of legitimate journalistic content.

What are they saying

• Faruk Bildirici, T24’s media ombudsman, criticized Meta’s decision as an infringement on freedom of expression. He accused the platform of enforcing vague and undisclosed standards that restrict media freedom. Bildirici argued that such actions force media organizations to conform to a narrow viewpoint, undermining their role in providing diverse and critical perspectives.
• Dogan Akin, T24’s general director, condemned the removal as an unacceptable constraint on journalism. Akin noted that the principles of journalism should be upheld regardless of political or geographical considerations. He pointed out the contradiction in social media platforms acting as both facilitators and barriers to free expression, particularly in light of significant global events like the ongoing violence in Gaza.

Instagram ban in Türkiye

• ICTA’s ban: Two days after Fahrettin Altun, head of the Presidential Communications Directorate, expressed his frustration over Instagram blocking condolence messages regarding the death of Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh, the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICTA) imposed a ban on Instagram on Friday, Aug. 2.
• Catalogue crimes: Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu explained the Instagram ban by pointing out serious crimes such as “insulting Atatürk,” “promoting gambling and drugs,” and “child sexual abuse.” He stated, “Our country has rules. Our country has values and sensitivities. Despite our warnings, they did not consider the catalog crimes. We imposed a ban. The ban will be lifted when they comply with our laws.”
• Six-hour meeting with META: While the Instagram ban continued, a crucial six-hour meeting was held on Monday between bureaucrats from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and META officials.
• “Algorithm” defense: During the meeting, Türkiye reiterated its demands concerning content that violated its laws and sensitivities, especially regarding the condolence messages for Haniyeh being blocked by algorithms. META defended itself by stating that the algorithms were activated because the U.S. considers Hamas a terrorist organization.
• Definition of terrorism: The delegation insisted that posts supporting PKK, PYD, and FETO, which are listed as terrorist organizations in Türkiye, should also be blocked by the algorithms. Following these demands, it was noted that META was willing to comply with the request. A list of content that Türkiye wanted removed from the platform was also presented to the company.
• No progress: However, it was reported that there were disagreements between the parties regarding the definition of terrorism. After the meeting, Uraloglu stated, “We did not get the exact results we wanted regarding the reopening of Instagram. I thought we could resolve this today, but it didn’t happen. There is no progress regarding Instagram.”