“It’s an illustration, perhaps, of how extremely complicated and nuanced issues of online speech really are,” says the Washington Post. But it isn’t really an illustration of anything except the cowardice and inconsistency of Mark Zuckerberg.
“Two weeks after Zuckerberg said ‘je suis Charlie,’ Facebook begins censoring images of prophet Muhammad,” by Caitlin Dewey, Washington Post, January 27, 2015:
Only two weeks after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg released a strongly worded #JeSuisCharlie statement on the importance of free speech, Facebook has agreed to censor images of the prophet Muhammad in Turkey — including the very type of image that precipitated the Charlie Hebdo attack.
It’s an illustration, perhaps, of how extremely complicated and nuanced issues of online speech really are. It’s also conclusive proof of what many tech critics said of Zuckerberg’s free-speech declaration at the time: Sweeping promises are all well and good, but Facebook’s record doesn’t entirely back it up….
Now, per the BBC, Facebook has blocked an unspecified number of pages that “offended the Prophet Muhammad” after receiving a court order from a local court in Ankara. A person familiar with the matter but not authorized to speak publicly confirmed to the Post that Facebook had acted to “block content so that it’s no longer visible in Turkey following a valid legal request.” In the past, social media companies that failed to comply with such requests — including Twitter and YouTube — have been blocked in the country, entirely.
Turkey is, in fact, one of Facebook’s more vexing territories, at least where censorship is concerned. The country represents a huge potential audience for U.S. tech companies, with its growing population of young digital natives and its rapidly transforming economy.
But according to Facebook’s latest transparency report, which covered the first six months of 2014, Turkey asked Facebook to censor 1,893 pieces of content in that timespan — the second-most of any country. Many of the requests sprang from local laws that prohibit criticism of Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, or the president or the Turkish state. (Turkey takes this stuff seriously, too: You may have heard about the teenager who was arrested in December simply for reading a statement that criticized President Tayyip Erdogan.)…

Truth says
Zuckerberg is a cowardly wimp.
Jaladhi says
I think almost all of the West has become coward and wimp. This is mostly because the West has allowed Muslims to come to their countries and now they are afraid of making Muslims angry!! Seems like seventy years after fighting Nazis and Japanese fascists the West has no desire left to fight these Islamofascists and would like to crawl under a rock rather than stand up to them!!
dlbrand says
Indeed, Grovel, and kiss the soiled feet of Muhammad, his army, and his followers.
KrazyKafir says
“This is mostly because the West has allowed Muslims to come to their countries and now they are afraid of making Muslims angry!! ”
Which is why we will soon see civil war spreading throughout Europe. Serbia, was just the first of many civil wars with Muslims, and the loss of the first skirmish is a lesson for the future societies who seek to save their culture of freedom and equality for all before the law.
Spot On says
I believe that if Hitler did the right kind of PR campaign on TV and paid the right politicians, with the MSM behind him he could get away with whatever he wanted. Just look at Iran. They threaten to eliminate Israel and us regularly while our leaders respond by threatening Israel and kissing up to Iran.
Norseman says
Speaking of cowards and wimps. The Cologne Carnival just announced that they are cancelling the Charlie Hebdo float in the upcoming event.
https://toffeefee.wordpress.com/2015/01/29/cologne-nous-ne-pas-sommes-charlie/
Myxlplik says
I think Mark Zuckerberg is a brave man, this was purely a business descision. The authorities in Turkey were going to block ALL of Facebook in Turkey if he didn’t comply. If Turks want to live in a retarded backwards Islamic country it isn’t Facebooks job to fix them.
Would be interesting to see how the vetting process works at Facebook.
mortimer says
The Muslims have declared war on free speech. We will have to draw the line eventually. It will be easier to stop them sooner rather than later when it is harder and more costly.
IT WILL BE COSTLY TO RECOVER OUR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, just as it was costly to recover Poland after Hitler’s invasion.
RonaldB says
” If Turks want to live in a retarded backwards Islamic country it isn’t Facebooks job to fix them.”
That statement could just as well apply to a decision by Facebook to let Turkey pull out altogether and become even more retarded…Although it begs the question of whether extensive Facebook usage is a sign of advancement or retardation.
Anyway, in a free republican (small ‘r’) society, businesses, like government, should not be relied on to provide a push towards freedom. It’s the job of the people to protect their freedoms. A business that goes too much against the grain will fail, just like a representative that gets too far from his constituents will lose the election.
I’m happy to see this article, though. It tells us two things: 1) Turkey, a ‘modern, prosperous’ Muslim society is still repressive and still looks to sharia for inspiration; and 2) Facebook in particular is nothing but a money-making tool, like a screwdriver. It has its uses, but its strength is technology. Look to others, like our Robert Spencer, for inspiration concerning freedom.
katnis says
I agree with your comment on this being a business decision. Mark probably had to choose between blocking the photos and losing the business entirely. Besides, if pictures of Mo are blocked in Turkey, so what? The photos exist and are being published in most other places.
King Dave says
The only thing progressives defend is Islamic bigotry.
Because these leftists don’t really care at all about the welfare of Muslims, or daily Islamic atrocities, and even care less about their staggering amount of victims.
This is because of their paralyzing fear of being labeled a bigot by their own political peers
Angemon says
Zuckerberg isn’t one to let (alleged) personal feelings interfere with his business…
Kenneth T. Tellis says
Islamists may murder, rape, kill and enslave and Christians and other non Muslims at will, but they cannot be criticized because their pseudo prophet of Islam Muhammed approved and permitted all those acts of savagery. Yet, we have censored all others who have done so, either in the name of God, or political reasons. So, any censorship is based on someones personal viewpoint, and is thus unacceptable.
FREEDOM of the PRESS is something just as sacred as religion in Western Society and must be protected from the fanatics of any religion. To limit freedom is to open the door to servitude of the PRESS. That is a sacrilege and cannot be accepted in any free society. Case closed
Alarmed Pig Farmer says
Je suis APF, and I am offended
Zuckerberg knows little or nothing about computer technology, and has never invented anything. He simply cloned a form of social networking technology that had already been implemented and put on the Web several times before Facebook.
That his persona as a tech leader is fake doesn’t offend me, heck, that act is common. The best example of this is Bill Gates. But his posturing as a leader of free people is downright offensive. All he’s doing is running a private network over and global network invented by others, decades ago. But now he’s in a new role, that of a fake leader who has gone into the censorship business for fear of Moslem aggression against his company and Moslem violence against his person.
A hero this guy is not.
Chaim says
As much as I usually agree with JW and it’s readers, I think this time your missing the point. FB got legal order from turkey. If he wants to do biz there, he’s got to follow it. No difference than dealing with censors in China or the NSA in the US.
katnis says
+1
zebo says
“It’s an illustration, perhaps, of how extremely complicated and nuanced issues of online speech really are”=(translation)
How can we push further our “kiss-islams-ass-agenda” and defame critics as islamophobs while succefully pretending “Je suis Charlie”
And Suckerberg?Facebook was not his invention and people with his antisocial tendencies don”t have a mindset to develop social networks but they know how to exploit them.
He was only good in opportunism and therefore still is
pdxnag says
He had the option of letting Turkey just block everything served by Facebook. There might have been local political fallout, even a protest or two.
Moderate Islamists reveal themselves as extremist Islamists the moment they qualify free speech as excluding depictions of Mohammad, or mockery of persons preaching the inherent evil of Islam.
jewdog says
Hey Mark: Vous etes un dhimmi.
I avoid Facebook and other social media because I find that they are a source of frivolous and distracting junk mail and messages. And I could care less whether you “like” me.
Jax Tolmen says
Not to play devils advocate, but after reading the article it seems fair enough that the decision was made as it was. Considering it came with a legal ruling, Facebook is obliged to comply in that country. The only other alternative was to face legal ramifications and a significant loss of business.
It seems somewhat backwards and hypocritical – but it is a company, not a government or a political movement. It is bound by law, and the rule of the money.
Joe Shmo says
Mark Zuckerberg: anti privacy and anti free speech. He is an ally to the Jihad.
ECAW says
I don’t see any inconsistency or cowardice here. Facebook’s decision is in line with their earlier statement that they follow the laws in each country.
As far as Zuckerburg pulling out of Turkey is concerned, well he’s not king of Facebook. Since they went public Facebook is legally bound to maximise returns for their shareholders.
What surprises me is that they haven’t apparently faced this kind of legal action in the rest of the Islamic world – yet.
Angry says
I don’t use facebook anyway, it’s full of lefties, teenage whores, paedophiles and other forms of scum.
epistemology says
This is no surprise, although there is no reason why FB should comply with Turkish law. But money makes the world go ’round.
Here are only a few examples:
Ages ago (before 9/11) Nike retrieved a pair of sneakers with Air in an arched font written on the heels, because you could read that as Allah. I’ve no idea how these three letters however arched the font might be could mean Allah. But Nike even paid them compensation for hurting their sensibilities which means funding terrorism.
Years later Burger King had to retrieve the whirl from their ice cream papers. I wonder how can the three letters Air and a whirl mean the same. It’s beyond me, but there are certain things I just can’t fathom.
In Austria Lego had to retrieve their module “Jabba’s palace” of the star wars series, because the palace looked like the Hagia Sofia according to a Turkish resident.
The list is endless I’m afraid. Our politicians keep caving in as well. Muzzies bring us wealth and votes, that’s the motto. But most of all they steal our freedom. They may go to hell with their money and votes, I want my freedom of speech.
Nicu says
It’s even worse than that : If you write an Islam Critical post – it often gets deleted !
But this pages from Jihadists full of hate and ugly pictures won’t get closed after report 🙁
mad-aussie says
The West needs to stop all Trade and Business dealings with all Islamic Countries . PERIOD! Stop Putting Money in front of Safety and security. If Muslims Want to live in the dark ages I SAY LET THEM. No Technology, No modern Goods of any kind. No Weapons either. Their Neanderthals so let them live like Neanderthals.
Randall says
How, in the name of sanity, can there be an image made of someone when absolutely no one knows what he looked like, or, for that matter, even if he actually existed?
ALilWacked says
Zuckerberg is a tool/plaything of the left. manipulated like a puppet…