Case studies

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

Request
We received multiple orders from the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICTA) from Türkiye to restrict access to 5 Facebook posts and 4 Instagram posts under Article 8/A of Türkiye’s Law No. 5651 on the Regulation of Broadcasts via Internet and Prevention of Crimes Committed through Such Broadcasts. The items, shared by news agencies and Members of Parliament, alleged that the nephew of Deputy Minister of Family Affairs was unlawfully appointed as a civil servant without taking the public servant selection exam and was subsequently arrested on charges of sexual assault. Risks of non-compliance with an order under Article 8/A, include potential administrative fines, an ads ban for up to 6 months, and throttling access to our services.
Result
The reported content did not violate Meta’s Community Standards. We restricted access to the content in Türkiye for violating local law and notified the impacted users.

Request
We received a report from Saudi Arabia’s Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) citing Public Prosecutor orders to restrict access to 125 Instagram accounts and Facebook pages 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 organizations. The risks of not complying with the request included financial penalties and, to a lesser extent, blocking risk and potential criminal liability under Art. 6 (1) of the Anti-Cybercrime Law.
Result
We removed 33 items for violating Community Standards. We restricted access to 92 items in Saudi Arabia and notified the impacted users.

Request
We received an order from the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICTA) from Türkiye to restrict access to 1 Instagram account under Article 8/A of Türkiye’s Law No. 5651 on the Regulation of Broadcasts via Internet and Prevention of Crimes Committed through Such Broadcasts. The item contained journalistic images and videos of Iran drone attacks on Iraqi Kurdistan region. Risks of non-compliance with an order under Article 8/A, include potential administrative fines, an ads ban for up to 6 months, and throttling access to our services.
Result
The reported content did not violate Meta’s Community Standards. We restricted access to the content in Türkiye for violating local law and notified the impacted users.

Request
We received a report from Saudi Arabia’s Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) citing a Public Prosecutor order to restrict access to 19 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, and content deemed to contravene religious sensitivities. The risks of not complying with the request included financial penalties and, to a lesser extent, blocking risk and potential criminal liability under Art. 6 (1) of the Anti-Cybercrime Law.
Result
We removed 3 items for violating Community Standards. We restricted access to 16 items in Saudi Arabia and notified the impacted users.

Request
We received a report from United Arab Emirates’ Telecommunications And Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) citing a Public Prosecutor order to restrict access to 18 Facebook pages and Instagram accounts of media outlets and news aggregators for allegedly violating Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021 on Combating Rumors and Cybercrimes and Federal Decree-Law No. 31 of 2021 on Crimes and Penalties. The items included content reporting on regional geo-political conflicts and security developments. The risks of not complying with the request included financial penalties and, to a lesser extent, blocking risk and potential criminal liability under Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021 on Combating Rumors and Cybercrimes and Federal Decree-Law No. 31 of 2021 on Crimes and Penalties.
Result
The reported item did not violate Meta’s Community Standards. We restricted access to 18 items in the UAE and notified the impacted users.

Content Alleged to Violate Turkish Law • Mar 2026 • Türkiye 🇹🇷

Request
We received a blocking access decision for 2 Instagram posts alleging that an investigation had been launched into Çaycuma’s Chief Prosecutor, who reportedly had his girlfriend's ex-boyfriends detained on charges of "illegally obtaining personal data" for opening Instagram accounts in his name. The content was reported under Article 9/A of Türkiye’s Law No. 5651 on the Regulation of Broadcasts via Internet and Prevention of Crimes Committed through Such Broadcasts. The blocking access decision required that, according to Article 9/A, the decision must be implemented immediately at the latest within 4 hours of notification, and the risks of not complying include civil liability in the form of a potential damages claim, and may also attract criminal liability for individuals responsible for compliance under the general provisions of the Turkish Penal Code.
Result
The reported content did not violate Meta’s Community Standards. We restricted access to the content in Türkiye for violating local law and notified the impacted users.

Request
We received a user report from a political figure reporting one Facebook post containing allegations of sexual misconduct that were deemed unlawful. The post, shared by a political activist, contained critique of public morals in Finnish politics. Non-compliance risks included criminal or civil liability, including fines or damages.
Result
The reported item did not violate Meta’s Community Standards. We restricted access to the post in Finland for alleged violation of local law and notified the impacted user.

Request
We received a content takedown notice from the West Bengal, Bidhannagar North Police Commissionerate to restrict access to 14 Facebook posts. The notice invoked Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act and Rule 3(1)(d) of the Information Technology Rules, 2021. The notice stated that the posts violated the following local laws: 356(1), 353(1), 79, of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The reported items include morphed and AI generated content comparing West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to Hitler along with content that contain allegations of mis-governance, corruption, bribery and vote buying against Trinamool Congress party. The posts were published from the verified page of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s West Bengal unit. The risk of not complying with the notice was the loss of safe harbour for the specific posts and potential criminal penalties against local personnel.
Result
The content did not violate Meta’s Community Standards. We restricted access to 12 items for violation of local law and notified the affected users. No action was taken against 2 items.

Request
We received an order from the Delhi High Court to restrict access to 30 Facebook and Instagram posts for defamation. The reported items claimed a local politician was involved in the alleged rape, abduction and murder of a woman in the state of Uttarakhand. The items include posts from the verified pages of the Indian National Congress Uttarakhand and the Aam Aadmi Party. The risks of not complying with the order were the loss of safe harbour for the specific posts, contempt proceedings and potential criminal penalties against local personnel.
Result
The content did not violate Meta’s Community Standards. We restricted access to 30 items and notified the affected users.

Request
We received content takedown demands from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Ministry of Public Security to restrict access to 14 Facebook pages and profiles for allegedly violating the following local laws: Decree 147/2024/ND-CP and the 2018 Cybersecurity Law. These pages and profiles are known to post content critical of the Vietnamese Government, and include profiles belonging to the U.S.-based activist Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh and Germany-based activist Dang Thi Hue. The potential consequences of failing to comply with the demands include the enforcement of penalties as outlined in applicable local laws. This could also affect access to Meta's services in Vietnam during the 14th Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam.
Result
The content did not violate Meta’s Community Standards. We temporarily restricted access to 9 pages and profiles (including Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh and Dang Thi Hue) in response to reports that they allegedly violated local laws, and notified the affected users. No action was taken on the remaining 5 pages and profiles as they did not violate local laws.