Case studies

Details on some of the requests we received to restrict content based on local laws and what we did as a result.

Content Alleged to Violate Vietnam’s Law • Aug 2026 • Vietnam 🇻🇳

Request
We received a demand from the Ministry of Public Security to adjust the algorithms of the Threads platform to restrict the distribution of content and topics related to a 2025 traffic incident. The potential consequences of failing to comply include restrictions on access to Threads in Vietnam.
Result
The content does not violate Meta’s Community Standards and does not qualify for demotion under our Content Distribution Guidelines. In line with the Global Network Initiative Guidelines, we restricted specific topics in Vietnam from Trending Now on Threads in response to legal requests alleging they violated local laws. Users in Vietnam will still be able to view the content on their respective feeds and search for the content. We took this action in order to keep the Threads service available in Vietnam.

Request
We received content takedown demands from the Ministry of Public Security to restrict access to 100 Facebook pages and profiles for allegedly violating Article 7 of the 2025 Law on Cyber Security and Articles 116 and 331 of the Penal Code. These pages and profiles are associated with overseas Vietnamese political organisations and individual activists, and are known to post content critical of the Vietnamese government. The potential consequences of failing to comply with the demands include the enforcement of penalties under applicable local laws, and potential restrictions on access to Meta's services in Vietnam.
Result
The content did not violate Meta’s Community Standards. We temporarily restricted access to 23 pages and profiles in Vietnam in response to reports that they allegedly violated local laws, and notified the affected users. No action was taken on the remaining 77 pages and profiles.

Request
We received a report from Saudi Arabia’s Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) citing a Public Prosecutor order to restrict access to 183 Instagram accounts, Facebook pages and Facebook profiles for allegedly violating Art. 6 of the Anti-Cybercrime Law. The items included reporting on regional geo-political conflicts, security developments, political satire, political speech, and content deemed to contravene religious sensitivities, including content posted by media, activist and civil society organizations. The risks of not complying with the request included criminal liability and administrative fines, and, to a lesser extent, blocking risk under Art. 6 (1) of the Anti-Cybercrime Law.
Result
We removed 92 items for violating Community Standards. We restricted access to 91 items in Saudi Arabia and notified the impacted users.