Elon Musk’s X latest to block Saudi dissident accounts inside kingdom
Summary
Elon Musk’s X has blocked more than 60 accounts of Saudi dissidents inside the kingdom, following orders from Saudi authorities. The platform has geoblocked the accounts of human rights activists Yahya Assiri and Abdullah Alaoudh, along with academics, independent media and satirist Ghanem al-Masarir. The London-based rights group ALQST reported that the content is now unavailable to users inside Saudi Arabia. X informed account holders that the content was withheld to comply with Saudi Arabia’s local laws. A Saudi decree cited by the platform alleges that the accounts transmitted material infringing on public order, religious values, public morals or the sanctity of private life. Activists say the move is a form of censorship that enables the Saudi authorities to silence criticism from abroad.
Key points
- More than 60 accounts on X have been made unavailable in Saudi Arabia through geoblocking.
- Affected accounts include those of human rights activist Yahya Assiri and satirist Ghanem al-Masarir.
- X informed users their content was withheld to comply with Saudi Arabia’s local laws.
- A Saudi decree alleges the accounts transmitted material infringing on public order and religious values.
- ALQST has called on X, Meta, Snapchat and YouTube to restore access and provide transparency.
Timeline
YouTube blocked two of Ghanem al-Masarir’s accounts with over 800,000 subscribers combined.
X notified al-Masarir that his content had been withheld in the kingdom to comply with local laws.
The Guardian reported that X has blocked the accounts of more than 60 Saudi dissidents inside the kingdom.
“I think it’s horrible because we were fighting tyrants back home and now we’re fighting tyrants and their cronies here where we are in exile. It’s censorship – and what’s even worse is that they did not say we violated X’s rules or Meta’s rules.”
Background
Earlier this year, Snapchat and Meta’s Facebook and Instagram also blocked dissidents’ accounts over allegations by Saudi authorities that they violated local law.
Why it matters
The blocking of accounts by major US social media companies enables the Saudi authorities to silence criticism from abroad and treats exiled activists as a threat.
What's next
ALQST has called on X, Meta, Snapchat and YouTube to restore access to the accounts and provide transparency over how the decisions were reached.