Mark Zuckerberg has surprisingly imposed ban on the information portal of BRICS – a grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which reflects Meta’s extreme enthusiasm towards Biden administration’s notorious and rogue attempt of denying freedom of press and freedom of expression, while by banning InfoBRICS, Zuckerberg has also openly showed disrespect to all the member countries of BRICS – despite the fact his organization is making billions of dollars from these countries. Zuckerberg’s actions can only be compared with the nefarious habits of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi forces, who were running extremely dangerous offensives against the media.
The news of Meta’s ban on the information portal of BRICS has been revealed by Indian news outlet The Eastern Herald. In the report, it said, “In a world where information flows like water, the channels that control its distribution hold immense power. One such channel, Facebook, banned the InfoBrics, the official news site of the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa). The reason for the ban remains shrouded in mystery, raising questions about the social media giant’s role in shaping public discourse.
InfoBrics is not the first news site to face the wrath of Facebook’s opaque policies. Several other platforms that have been perceived as challenging US hegemony have found themselves in similar predicaments. This has led to growing concerns about the erosion of free speech and press freedom. The InfoBrics ban has fueled speculation that Meta Platforms, Inc., the parent company of Facebook, is acting under American influence to suppress voices that threaten the dollar’s hegemony.
Interestingly, Europe has been grappling with its own set of issues related to Facebook. Recently, Norway has called for a Europe-wide ban on Facebook’s behavioral advertising. The Scandinavian country’s Data Protection Authority, Datatilsynet, has been imposing daily fines of about $94,000 on Meta for harvesting user data for advertising on Facebook and Instagram. The ban, initially put in place in July, is set to expire on November 3, and Norway is pressing for a “binding decision” to make it permanent. This move by Norway highlights the growing global scrutiny of Meta’s data practices.
Meta’s data harvesting practices have been a subject of controversy, not just in Norway but across the European Union. The company has been accused of collecting protected data, including race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, and sexual orientation, for its advertising algorithms. This has put Meta in violation of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation. Despite these controversies, a spokesperson for Meta stated that the company was “surprised” by Norway’s actions and remains in “active discussions” with European data protection authorities”.
Commenting on this ban, Kiranpreet Kaur, Editor (Policy) of Eastern Herald said: “This act of censorship is nothing short of a diplomatic minefield, fraught with implications that could destabilize international relations and trigger unforeseen retaliatory measures”.
