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Meta blocks human rights accounts from reaching audiences in Saudi Arabia, UAE

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Re: Meta blocks human rights accounts from reaching audiences in Saudi Arabia, UAE

#241

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you ban psyops? Require every user register with a gov ID so there’s someone to go after? What’s a psyop vs a grassroots contrarian movement like LGBT used to be? Anonymity online seems the ultimate double edge sword. I prefer privacy over government prescribed safety.

You investigate and punish groups found to be running psyops, simple as. No need to automate the whole process with ID checks, these organizations make and spend money so the tracks are there to find. If suspected drag them into discovery and gather evidence like you would for financial fraud or criminal conspiracy.

They are often in other countries, and there are much worse crimes to focus attention on with a limited budget. This does happen and should more often, but it’s far from a full solution.

Re: Meta blocks human rights accounts from reaching audiences in Saudi Arabia, UAE

#242

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The transnational private sector is neither morally consistent nor geopolitically neutral. The transnational private sector is neither morally consistent nor geopolitically neutral. The transnational private sector is neither morally consistent nor geopolitically neutral.

So what? Very few organizations are morally consistent or geopolitically neutral. Especially in 2026 where political polarization is the norm. Despite Meta's self serving actions here their morals are significantly better than those of Saudi Arabia or the UAE.

Very few? Try none.

Unless the moral position is something akin to realist self interest, in which case the apparent "inconsistency" is actually internally quite consistent. Perhaps the lack of consistent moral positions in competing paradigms is less an interesting phenomena to point out and more a tell that someone is laboring under an extremely naive conception of human morality.

Re: Meta blocks human rights accounts from reaching audiences in Saudi Arabia, UAE

#243

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You investigate and punish groups found to be running psyops, simple as. No need to automate the whole process with ID checks, these organizations make and spend money so the tracks are there to find. If suspected drag them into discovery and gather evidence like you would for financial fraud or criminal conspiracy.

Sure, let's just give the state a pretext to jail anyone espousing opinions they don't like for running a psyop. Surely no government will abuse this power and brand anyone in their opposition as a psyop bot army that needs to be removed from the internet.

a 4 month old account making a bad faith argument, well I never!

Re: Meta blocks human rights accounts from reaching audiences in Saudi Arabia, UAE

#244

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, let's just give the state a pretext to jail anyone espousing opinions they don't like for running a psyop. Surely no government will abuse this power and brand anyone in their opposition as a psyop bot army that needs to be removed from the internet.

If they want to they'll do that under any pretense they can get away with. See the current administration declaring intent to treat pro-LGBT speech or anti-fascist speech as indicative of participation in terrorist groups. You just can't let a government get this bad, and the set of rules and procedures you need to reign in a tyrant are pretty different from the ones you need to keep a system stable and functioning u…

Right now you can in fact express pro LGBT or anti fascist opinions despite the administration's efforts to stop you precisely because there are no such regulations.

Had a previous US administration thought that the US is a stable and functional democracy that can be entrusted with such a law, you will be in trouble.

Re: Meta blocks human rights accounts from reaching audiences in Saudi Arabia, UAE

#246

Earlier quoted context omitted.

KSA works too and matches UAE pattern.

KSA is never used in US media. No one here would know what it meant.

I'm sure almost no one watching US media knows what "human rights" or "asm.js" is, yet we allowed them in HN titles still.

Re: Meta blocks human rights accounts from reaching audiences in Saudi Arabia, UAE

#247
post #231

[dead]

Yes, I speak for whole of HN, and I previous said it's good that US follows local laws so I'll speak for whole of HN again and say we also like this because again foreign company needs to follow local law. Everyone happy now?

Re: Meta blocks human rights accounts from reaching audiences in Saudi Arabia, UAE

#249

Do they have a choice? It’s either that or they are shown the door, in which case they will probably be replaced by worse local alternatives in terms of freedom of speech and gov influence

Russia and China can do that, but I am not sure Saudi and UAE reasonably could. Too small and too enmeshed with the US empire

Re: Meta blocks human rights accounts from reaching audiences in Saudi Arabia, UAE

#250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So why not make the positive choice? Zuckerberg claimed time and time again he wanted to connect the world, and it was part of the earliest mission statements: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/sep/02/mark-zuck... It was on the hoodie! https://www.cnet.com/culture/zuckerberg-hoodie-makes-mountai... Mark said, "But there’s this mission belief that connecting the world is really important, and that is somethi…

Meta took less than $100m from VC money over a decade ago. It makes billions in profit a quarter.

And, additionally, it should be noted the corporate structure gives Zuckerberg near absolute power. So you can't really blame the decisions on anyone but him.
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