Expansion of Restrictions on Political and Human Rights Content on Digital Platforms in Saudi Arabia
Legal Report: Expansion of Restrictions on Political and Human Rights Content on Digital Platforms in Saudi Arabia
The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights reported an expansion of restrictions imposed on human rights and political content accessible to users within Saudi Arabia. The organization indicated that these measures included accounts of organizations, activists, and dissidents, some of whom operate from outside the Kingdom, during the year 2026.
The organization stated that its own accounts underwent a series of actions, including the blocking of its content on Facebook within Saudi Arabia and the cancellation of its account on Instagram, in addition to restrictions on other accounts on the X and YouTube platforms.
According to the organization, a wave of restrictions began in April when several activists and organizations received notifications indicating the presence of official requests to block their accounts or restrict access to their content within the Kingdom. These measures expanded further during the months of July and August.
It added that on August 21, Facebook informed the organization that its content had been blocked for users within Saudi Arabia in response to an official legal request, while Instagram had canceled the organization’s account earlier in the month, claiming a violation of community guidelines.
The organization noted that the content affected by these restrictions covers issues related to human rights, trials, detainees, executions, and other files related to the human rights situation in the Kingdom.
In a similar context, Amnesty International had reported Saudi requests to restrict access to dozens of accounts and pages on social media platforms. Meanwhile, other human rights organizations documented cases related to the restriction of accounts belonging to activists and dissidents.
Saudi authorities assert that some measures concerning digital content are based on local laws, including the Anti-Cyber Crime Law. However, human rights organizations argue that the broad formulations of certain legislations and their application mechanisms raise concerns regarding freedom of expression and access to information.
The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights called for greater transparency regarding the legal bases used for blocking content, clarification of the reasons behind decisions taken against accounts, and the provision of effective mechanisms for objection and review.
