Closing the channels of violence on Social Media exposes the confusion of the Houthi militia

The closure of the two companies (YouTube and Facebook) of Houthi channels, pages and accounts on social media calling for death, terrorism and hatred caused confusion and confusion for the Houthi militia - the Iranian arm in Yemen.

And while the leader in the ranks of the group, Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi, was calling on Sunday, August 6, 2023, in a public event, "all doctors to educate the community through social media on how to prevent risks that may be caused by diseases.

..", there were leaders in his group The Ministry of Communications, which controls the Internet, calls for banning YouTube and Facebook in Yemen.

In an honorary ceremony organized by the (Yemeni Council for Medical and Health Specializations at the Ministry of Health in Sana'a), Muhammad Ali al-Houthi stressed "the importance of keeping pace with scientific developments in health, medicines and medical discoveries by participating in scientific conferences, carrying out research, and communicating with research centers in this field."

The Yemeni political activist, Ali Al-Bukhaiti, attributed the reasons for banning the Houthi pages on (YouTube and Facebook) to slogans of hatred, death and cursing different religions, noting that the Houthi militia is trying to transfer its battles because of its hostile slogans and inciting rhetoric into battles of extortion in the name of the Yemeni people.

 In the name of the Yemeni people (residents of the group's control areas), the Houthi militia claims to demand the people (the Ministry of Communications to deal responsibly with the racist and selective behavior of YouTube and Facebook and to review their work license in Yemen...) in a clear misleading of public opinion at home and abroad, and in what is considered an attempt to blackmail the two companies.

Low reach rate of Facebook ads in Yemen

Due to the poor quality of the internet, economic crises, deteriorating living conditions, stopping/interrupting the payment of salaries of state employees, high fuel prices, electricity and energy services, the number of social media users in Yemen decreased from 3.50 million in January 2022 to 3.05 million in January 2023, which is equivalent to 9.0 percent of the total population.

According to the figures published in Meta Tools, the rate of reach of Facebook ads in Yemen decreased from 9.2 percent of the total population at the beginning of 2022, to 7.3 percent of the total population at the beginning of 2023.

Facebook ads in Yemen are of little importance to the company's profits, given the limited use in Yemen and compared to the size of users and profits in other countries, according to activists. They see the militia's demand to block my sites (Facebook and YouTube) as harming users inside (education - vocational training - marketing). Goods and handicrafts...) and persistently punishing the population and exacerbating their suffering with an internal and external blockade.

The numbers indicate that the potential ad reach of Facebook in Yemen decreased by 350 thousand (-12.3 percent) between 2022 and 2023, and the same data also showed that the number of users that marketers can reach through ads on Facebook in Yemen decreased by 300 thousand ( -10.7 percent) between October 2022 and January 2023.

And the Houthi militia in Sana'a approved the closure of more than 50 channels and accounts on its (Social Media), which publish content that incites hatred and violence, exalts acts of killing and terrorism, and feeds children and young people with inciting sectarian and sectarian ideas, without observing the rules and controls of electronic publishing and human rights.

المصدر: نيوزيمن