Meta Apologizes for Removing Malaysian PM's Condolence Post

Meta Platforms extended an apology for mistakenly removing posts by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who expressed condolences to a Hamas official regarding the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh. The posts were restored after a meeting between the Malaysian government and Meta representatives, with warnings against blocking pro-Palestinian content in the future.

Meta Platforms issued an apology on Tuesday following the erroneous removal of social media posts by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. The posts in question offered condolences to a Hamas official over the assassination of the group's leader, Ismail Haniyeh.

The U.S. social media giant cited an 'operational error' and confirmed that the posts had been reinstated with 'the correct newsworthy label.' Meta designates Hamas as a 'dangerous organization' and utilizes both automated detection and human review to manage content related to the group.

This incident marks the second occurrence of such a conflict between Meta and the Malaysian government, which condemned the removal as unjust and a suppression of free speech. Malaysian officials have warned Meta and other social media platforms against blocking pro-Palestinian content moving forward.