Major US social media companies, including Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, have blocked the accounts of Saudi Arabian dissidents following orders from Saudi authorities, making them invisible inside the kingdom. 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 with Jamal Khashoggi before his murder in 2018.
According to the advocacy group American Committee for Middle East Rights (ACMER), at least seven accounts had been blocked by Meta by the end of April, including those of two American citizens and two individuals based in Europe. 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. When a company geo-blocks accounts on behalf of a government with a documented record of silencing dissent, it becomes an instrument of repression. Meta should push back.”
Meta did not respond to the “dirty work” claim but provided a statement saying that when content is reported as violating local law but not its own community standards, it may restrict availability in the country where it is alleged to be unlawful. It added that in most cases it informs affected users which state authorities sent the requests. Meta’s transparency centre shows that Saudi authorities sought restrictions on 144 Instagram accounts, Facebook pages, and Facebook profiles in April, and that Meta restricted access to 108 items.
Snapchat appears to have slowed or removed accounts without alerting owners, including one used by Abdulaziz. Its owner, Snap Inc, declined to comment. At least two users of X (formerly Twitter) received letters informing them of a request from the Saudi communications, space and technology commission claiming their accounts violated Saudi laws. X told users it had not taken action yet and urged them to seek legal advice or delete content voluntarily.
Abdulaziz told the Guardian: “I think this is just the introduction to a massive crackdown by the Saudi government to mute opposition. It could go as far as committing atrocities, just like they did with the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.” The Saudi government did not respond to a request for comment. Other accounts targeted include those linked to the London-based human rights organisation ALQST, whose board member Dr Maryam Aldossari said: “This is how authoritarian censorship travels: through legal notices, platform pressure and the attempted outsourcing of repression to global technology companies.”
