Facebook disables Press TV’s page in new attack on free speech
Facebook has once again shut down the page of English-language Press TV news network, this time permanently, in yet another attack by the US-based social media giant on Iranian media outlets.
Without any prior warning, Facebook informed Press TV on Friday that its account had been shut down for what it claimed to be the Iranian news channel’s failure to “follow our Community Standards.”
“We have already reviewed this decision and it can’t be reversed,” said Facebook in a note, without specifying the so-called violations of its rules.
The social media giant has on a number of occasions attacked Press TV, despite its claim of providing space for freedom of expression.
One such attack took place in mid-January, when Facebook temporarily shut down Press TV’s page, which had more than four million followers. The news outlet, however, had its page restored after appealing the platform’s decision to remove it.
In June 2020, Facebook labeled Iran’s Press TV, Russia’s Sputnik, and China’s Xinhua news agency as “state-media,” saying it would block them from running advertisements in the United States, which views the three countries as its arch-adversaries.
Facebook had in 2018 targeted hundreds of accounts it claimed were ties to Iran and Russia under the pretext of fighting “misinformation” campaigns.
Press TV has repeatedly fallen victim to censorship not just on Facebook but on multiple fronts, including Twitter and Instagram besides Google and its services.
While American social media platforms do not hesitate to silence the voice of Iranian media under the pretext of “policy violations,” they offer a free hand to anti-Muslim hate groups and Iranophobes under the banner of freedom of expression in a blatant double-standard policy.
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