Removed By Facebook, Apple, Droid, Hizbullah Maneuvers To Remain On U.S. Social Media

Steven Stalinsky..
MEMRI..
Inquiry & Analysis Series Report No.876..
22 August '12..

Introduction

Yesterday, Hizbullah created two new Facebook pages for its Al-Manar TV, following Facebook's removal of previous Hizbullah and Al-Manar TV pages. This maneuver is a new phase in Hizbullah's efforts to maintain its social media presence. Similarly, Hizbullah has also created new unofficial Apple and Droid apps, after the official ones were removed from the Apple Store and Google Play.

Efforts to remove Hizbullah to social media begin on July 27, 2012, when MEMRI published a report titled Designated Terrorist Organization Hizbullah Makes Extensive Use Of U.S. Social Media – Apple iTunes, iPad and iPhone, Google, Android, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter – In Violation Of U.S. Law detailing how Hizbullah uses American social media for its outreach efforts and to disseminate information. Following the publication of the MEMRI report, Hizbullah's iPhone and iPad apps were removed from iTunes, its Android app was removed from Google Play, and its Facebook pages for Hizbullah and for its Al-Manar TV station were removed; subsequently, MEMRI issued follow-up reports on the issue,[1] which led to another Hizbullah Facebook page being shut down.

The Lebanese media has been closely watching developments in MEMRI's activity against Hizbullah's social media activities. On August 15, 2012, Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC) TV reported on the removal of Al-Manar TV pages and apps from social media networks and app stores due to MEMRI efforts. The report began: "In recent days, Al-Manar TV has tried to create new pages using pseudonyms" (MEMRI found new Facebook pages on August 21; MEMRI is continuing to report on pages as they are created).

The LBC report continued: "It is a nonviolent war. Its latest chapter is Apple's and Google's removal of Al-Manar TV apps. It began, however, at the end of last July, with a report by the Middle East Media Research Institute on the intensive use made by Hizbullah of social media networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and mobile apps. The institute demanded that this use be terminated, claiming that it runs counter to U.S. laws, which prohibit any company on its soil from having dealings with an organization on the terror list.

"The apps were removed, and then Facebook began to remove all pages associated with Hizbullah and with its media outlets. The Hizbullah and Al-Manar TV pages disappeared from Facebook. In recent days, Al-Manar TV has tried to create new pages using pseudonyms, but Facebook is no stranger to such attempts, and would remove every page opened under the name of Hizbullah or of its secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, issuing a warning to the initiators of these efforts stating that their pages promoted terrorism and hatred."

It concluded: "The war has begun. How will Hizbullah respond to this electronic onslaught, which aims to ban it from the world of social media?"

(Read full "Hizbullah Maneuvers To Remain On U.S. Social Media")

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