X has made more than 60 Saudi dissident accounts unavailable inside Saudi Arabia by geoblocking them, according to London-based human rights group ALQST. Those affected include ALQST founder Yahya Assiri, US-based activist Abdullah Alaoudh, exiled activists, Saudi academics and independent media; account holders received emails from X saying content was withheld to comply with Saudi local laws. A Saudi decree attached to the notices, seen by the Guardian, said the accounts transmitted material that "infringes on public order, religious values, public morals or the sanctity of private life." Earlier this year Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram also restricted Saudi dissidents after complaints from Saudi authorities, and YouTube previously blocked two accounts belonging to satirist Ghanem al-Masarir inside the kingdom. ALQST said technology companies are enabling suppression and has called on X, Meta, Snapchat and YouTube to restore access and provide transparency about how the decisions were reached. X and the Saudi embassy in London were approached for comment.
