Facebook has blocked users in Thailand from accessing a video that shows the country’s king strolling through a German shopping mall wearing a crop-top revealing his distinctive tattoos, accompanied by one of his mistresses.
The social media titan blocked the video, not because it’s obscene or infringes on its own terms and conditions, but because Thailand’s government deems it insulting to the king and in violation of the country’s laws banning criticism of the monarchy.
“When governments believe something on the internet violates their laws, they may contact companies like Facebook and ask us to restrict access to that content,” a Facebook spokesperson told VICE News in an emailed statement.
The geo-blocking of the otherwise banal video highlights Facebook’s increasingly difficult position in attempts to grow its business abroad, often in countries whose strict local laws run counter to the company’s own stated goal of creating a more “open and connected” world.
In the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris, Mark Zuckerberg said he remained committed to free speech despite receiving death threats for certain posts on Facebook. ”Different voices, even if they’re sometimes offensive, can make the world a better and more interesting place,” he said. Ahead of elections in the U.K. next month, Facebook announced it took action against fake news, including suspending tens of thousands of potentially fake accounts, the New York Times reported.
But today Facebook faces growing criticism for the opacity of its censorship policy, which includes complying with requests to censor content by authoritarian regimes around the world. It has blocked content in Turkey after the government said it was insulting to the Prophet Muhammad. Facebook’s power to enforce decency around the globe was questioned last year after it censored the iconic Vietnam-era photo of the naked 9-year-old “napalm girl” — for violating its rules.
More, and yes, the video is there and totally thrilling
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https://news.vice.com/story/facebook-is-blocking-thai-users-from-seeing-video-of-their-king-in-a-crop-topSorry about the title, Vice is horrible that way.
