Elon Musk’s X latest to block Saudi dissident accounts inside kingdom | X – The Guardian

Elon Musk’s X has become the latest major US social media company to block the accounts of Saudi Arabian dissidents so they are no longer visible inside the kingdom, following orders from Saudi authorities. Earlier this year, the Guardian reported that platforms including Snapchat and Meta’s Facebook and Instagram had blocked dissidents’ accounts over allegations by Saudi authorities that they were violating local law. At the time, X, formerly Twitter, said it had notified users that it had not taken any action following requests by Saudi authorities, and it “strongly believes in defending and respecting the voice of our users”. However, since mid-July more than 60 accounts on the platform have been made unavailable in Saudi Arabia through geoblocking, which prevents users inside the kingdom from viewing the content, according to the London-based human rights organisation ALQST. Those affected include Yahya Assiri, a Saudi human rights activist who runs ALQST, and Abdullah Alaoudh, a US-based activist and vocal critic of Saudi human rights violations. Others affected include exiled activists, Saudi academics and independent media. Alaoudh, a senior policy adviser for Gulf issues at the American Committee for Middle East Rights, said: “I think it’s horrible because we were fighting tyrants
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