Meta apologises for 'operational error' in removing PM's posts

• UPDATED 1.05PM | Added Meta’s explanation on Palestine rally live stream removal.

Meta, the company behind Facebook, has apologised for the removal of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s social media posts regarding Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

This followed a tongue-lashing the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) gave Meta representatives during a meeting yesterday.

"We apologise for an operational error where content from the Prime Minister’s Facebook and Instagram pages were removed, and the content has since been restored with the correct newsworthy label," a Meta spokesperson said in a statement.

The apology was one of several demands that the PMO made during yesterday's meeting.

They also sought a detailed explanation for Meta's actions.

However, the other demands were unclear.

The PMO, during yesterday's meeting, conveyed “deep disappointment” towards Meta’s actions, calling it “discriminatory, unjust, and a blatant suppression of free expression”.

Not the first time

Previously, Meta removed posts about Anwar meeting Ismail in May, as well as Anwar’s posts condemning the Hamas leader's killing two weeks ago.

Ismail was killed at a guesthouse in Tehran, Iran on July 31.

Hamas blamed the killing on an Israeli raid, while the New York Times quoted sources in the Middle East and the US saying that the Hamas political bureau chief was killed by an Israeli bomb planted at the guesthouse months earlier.

Israel has not acknowledged or denied responsibility for Ismail’s death.

Putrajaya's rebuke of Meta comes amid efforts to get social media platforms operating in Malaysia licensed by Jan 1 next year, after which unlicensed platforms can be punished with fines and jail time.

Copyright violation

On the temporary removal of a Palestinian solidarity rally live stream shared by Anwar on Sunday, Meta said it was due to a copyright issue.

"We were made aware of one copyright complaint linked to the rights owner of music played at a rally the prime minister attended on Sunday.

"While we worked to address this IP concern as swiftly as possible, Malaysians were still able to view the live stream on many other Facebook pages," the spokesperson added.

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