On July 27, 2012, 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,"[1] detailing how Hizbullah uses American social media for its outreach efforts and to disseminate information. Following the publication of MEMRI's 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 two follow-up reports on the issue.[2]
On August 15, 2012, Lebanon's LBC TV broadcast a report on the ban of Al-Manar TV from social media networks and app stores due to MEMRI efforts. The report started, "In recent days, Al-Manar TV has tried to create new pages using pseudonyms" which MEMRI has already reported on. It should be noted that at 11:30AM today, Facebook removed the most recently created account by Hizbullah.
Reporter: "It is a non-violent 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.
"Twitter refuses to close down Al-Manar TV's account on the grounds that its website defends freedom of expression, while YouTube is somewhat undecided. It has not closed down Al-Manar TV's account, but at the same time, it does not hesitate to remove any video-clip that it believes promotes terrorism.
"The war has begun. How will Hizbullah respond to this electronic onslaught, which aims to ban it from the world of social media?" [...]
Endnotes:
[1] See MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis Report No. 863, "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," July 27, 2012, http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/6547.htm.
[2] "MEMRI Report on Hizbullah's Use Of U.S. Social Media Companies Leads To Facebook, Apple, Google Removing Their Content; Twitter And YouTube Still In Violation Of U.S. Law," August 2, 2012, http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/6560.htm; " Following MEMRI Report And Its 'Expulsion' From Apple, Google, Hizbullah's Al-Manar TV States: We'll Find Other Ways to Deliver 'Message of Resistance,'" August 6, 2012, http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/6568.htm.
