ARTICLE 19 is deeply concerned over the growing collaboration between Iraq’s Communication and Media Commission (CMC) and major social media platforms, namely Meta (owner and operator of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) and TikTok, which has led to increased censorship, arbitrary content removal, and online repression targeting journalists, political critics, and human rights defenders. We call on the government of Iraq to uphold its obligations under national and international law and urge digital platforms to respect their human rights responsibilities.
While online platforms are expected to comply with national laws, this cooperation risks becoming a mechanism for state-enabled digital censorship, particularly when the content in question does not violate community standards or platform policies. According to Meta’s latest transparency report, the CMC has repeatedly requested the geo-restriction of posts and accounts within Iraq, invoking broad legal justifications, such as ‘insulting or defaming public officials’ under Article 229 of the Penal Code.
In October 2025, Meta confirmed that it restricted two Facebook posts alleging judicial corruption after the CMC threatened to impose advertising bans and Central Bank payment blocks if the company refused to comply. These opaque arrangements between state authorities and global companies undermine the right to freedom of expression guaranteed under Article 38 of the Iraqi Constitution and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Iraq is a party. Similarly, following 454 requests submitted by the Iraqi government, TikTok removed or geo-blocked 410 accounts and pieces of content in Iraq between July and December 2024, citing both violations of its Community Guidelines and alleged breaches of the Iraqi Penal Code. According to TikTok’s Transparency Report (Q3–Q4 2024), 200 removals were based on Community Guidelines violations, while 210 were linked to local law compliance.
Under the Manila Principles, social media companies have a responsibility to respect human rights independently of government demands. This includes ensuring that any restriction of online speech is lawful, necessary, proportionate, and subject to oversight. However, Meta’s transparency reports lack sufficient information on the procedures and safeguards applied when complying with such government requests in Iraq, raising concerns about accountability and human rights due diligence.
Iraqi civil society organisations warn of concerning expansion of government control over digital discourse, including increasing coordination with social media platforms. In September 2024, local media outlets reported that the former head of the CMC met with Meta’s regional policy director to discuss blocking accounts allegedly promoting terrorism, hate speech, misinformation, or content deemed contrary to public morals. These broadly defined categories are often invoked to justify online censorship and to silence journalists, activists, and government critics.
ARTICLE 19 urges Iraqi authorities to align their actions with the Iraqi constitution, its international human rights obligations and the CMC’s own founding charter(CPA/ORD/20 March 2004/65). We call on the government to cease all actions that compel social media platforms to remove lawful content, undermining the right to freedom of expression and censoring public-interest speech.
Social media companies, particularly Meta and TikTok, must ensure that cooperation with State bodies doesn’t lead to arbitrary content removal, censorship, or discrimination against journalists, activists, and political opposition voices. They must publish detailed transparency reports on government takedown requests, conduct independent human rights assessments and engage openly with civil society and media organisations to prevent misuse of their systems and ensuringcompliance with international human rights standards.