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Facebook's & Twitter's disregard and selectivity put freedom of the press at stake

The recent policies of social media websites, especially the major ones such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter show selectivity has become a major feature of their work. Websites and electronic newspapers suffer from those policies that curtail freedom of speech. This happens in the middle of the digital revolution where netizens have become part of the policies of democratic countries because they are the public and the judge at the same time.
The restriction of the London newspaper Levant News accounts
The Instagram account of Levant News was disabled without a convincing reason or prior warning about any violation of Meta policies.
Although the general manager, the editorial director and the social media expert of the newspaper reached out many times to the Middle Eastern headquarters of Meta, the account has still been disabled.
It is strange and unjustified that Facebook or Instagram impose restrictions on Levant News more than once without even a minimum response or explaining where things went wrong in the newspaper accounts even though the newspaper is licensed by a country that respects freedom of the press and strictly sticks to the policies of social media websites, especially after 14-year-old Molly Russell committed suicide in early 2019 after watching Instagram videos about depression and suicide.
Not forgetting the former Prime Minister Theresa May demanded that these companies have to self-regulate their work to block terrorist content on the Internet as terrorist organisations use social media platforms to spread their propaganda, recruit members and plan terrorist attacks.
Levant News sticks to British policies
Since Levant News exists in a country that follows all these policies, it absolutely did not do anything against these policies, otherwise, fines and administrative penalties would be imposed by the Communications Regulatory Authority in Britain "Ofcom" which was given the authority to impose fines on violating entities of up to £250 thousand or to 5% of the entity's revenue.
The British Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) had previously announced that the powers granted to Ofcom would be temporary but they might become permanent later.
If Levant News had been violating the publishing policies of both platforms, it would face heavy fines like the ones Ofcom imposed on Russia's RT channel for breaching impartiality rules in its coverage of the poisoning of Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal, the civil war in Syria and its news & current affairs coverage of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Facebook and Instagram still ignore
The attached correspondence shows that Levant News repeatedly reach out to Facebook which only responded once from the platform's administration and the employee did not give a little of his precious time to respond to the management of the London newspaper Levant News.
Instagram was not better, when the first account of Levant News was hacked, they did not deal with the matter seriously and respectfully to restore the account. Although the hackers posted on the account asking for $200 to give it back, the Instagram administration sees this clearly and does not block this account. As well, the London newspaper sticks to professionalism and impartiality in its news publication of armed conflicts around the world and takes into account human and child rights in the photos and videos it publishes. Moreover, Levant News has journalists specialized in doing interviews with survivors of detention and how to deal with them and this is not seen much in many newspapers or human rights documentation centres.
Selectivity of Verification on Twitter
Twitter still verifies and gives the blue badge to many workers for the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) which is designated on the terrorist list in the country that hosts the Twitter regional office, while it ignores the verification of the account of the newspaper Levant News although it was contacted several times. It seems Twitter acts selectively as they verify unknown people and websites that do not have a big number of followers e.g. there are verified accounts for workers in an MB study centre and one of them has only 1200 followers and his account is given the blue badge. In addition, there are many verified accounts belonging to people who are members of organisations designated on terrorist lists like leaders in Hezbollah, the Houthi group, Hamas, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
On the other hand, when Levant News asked for the verification of its account, Twitter refused and justified that we are interfering in the elections, without mentioning what elections or what policy violations we went against and even if there is a breach why is the account still allowed to post and share the news? It is worth noting that the account of the London newspaper Levant News has been restricted on Twitter for three years and is prohibited from promotions like other newspapers and this is a flagrant violation of press freedom.
In fact, the policies of social media have to be reviewed because it has become part of the public opinion industry, otherwise, its future will not be as promising as many experts expect, especially after Elon Musk promised about reducing censorship on Twitter, which prompted many human rights organisations to express their concern about the growth and spread of incitement and hate speech on Twitter.
Levant News rank in the Arab world
Not long ago, the London newspaper Levant News was ranked 10th in terms of the target audience competing with well-known Arab newspapers and websites. It's got its rank because of the professionalism of its journalists and administrative staff, the thing that made the Arab and Syrian public trust it.
Here we note that the Facebook account of the general manager and founder of the London newspaper Levant News has been banned for three years from promotion.
Here is the question, why is this newspaper restricted while others are allowed to freely publish things that brainwash social media netizens?
The offices of Meta and Twitter in the Middle East have to answer this.
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BENEFIT AGM approves 10%...
- March 27, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).
Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.
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