Soleimani

The world watched in shock as US released a statement saying they had taken out Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. However, there was more shock to follow suit, with Instagram recently announcing that it will remove posts about the slain commander. Instagram and its parent company Facebook has decided to take down posts in support of Soleimani due to U.S. sanctions laws. There are very few Western born social media platforms allowed in Iran, and Instagram is one of them. Thus, the move will come as a big setback for the technology giant, and a huge let down to the people. Here’s a look at the whole story.

Violation of Free Speech

Most journalists and activists who fight for free speech feel that such censoring will do no good for anyone. The removal of the posts will be to comply with American sanctions. Isobel Cockerell from Coda Story exposed that as per a report by the International Federation of Journalists, Instagram had suspended over 15 Iranian journalists’ accounts.

While some accounts were reinstated, several posts have been permanently deleted. As the activists feel that this is a time Iranians need to have access to information, the move will be heavily criticised. Choosing to censor Iranian media at this juncture is highly unacceptable as per Anthony Bellanger, who serves as the IFJ General Secretary.

Taking Down Accounts

Instagram has also reportedly been shutting down accounts of journalists, advocates and activists from Iran, sharing posts related to the commander. In one notorious instance, Instagram removed a post by journalist Emadeddin Baghi, who suggested that Soleimani’s killing is “contrary to the principles of international law”.

However, Instagram backed the move by stating that it is merely complying with US laws. Furthermore, the company stated that it restored posts made by Baghi after checking them for compliance. Posts removed by erroneous means, and which did not violate any company policy were later restored by the social media giant.

As per US law, Instagram has to remove posts in favour of groups labelled foreign terrorist organizations as per U.S. State Department records. That list, as of last year, includes the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps formerly led by Soleimani. Facebook interprets the law such that it removes all content encouraging their actions or speaking in support of them.

Public Resistance

However, this behavior raised concerns from free speech advocates, who feel the network has no legal obligation to take down such posts. Also, they feel that such a move goes against Facebook’s mission to become a representative for free expression.

Facebook spokesperson Sarah Pollack said that Facebook regularly reviews its content to make sure it complies with US laws. She also revealed that people whose accounts have been disabled can appeal at the Help Centre for further help. Noted advocate for free speech, Jillian York who works at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, expressed his disappointment, stating that Instagram is “legally wrong”.

Activists feel that while flagging organisations as terrorist groups might work for intelligence agencies, it also works as a blunt tool. Offering private entities, the power to dictate policies such as this could grow into a dangerous problem soon enough, as per them.

The aggressive position that such platforms are taking might not be very sustainable for the companies themselves. Though Google declined to comment, the giant has not yet removed any posts and neither has Twitter. This, therefore, puts Facebook in a tough spot.