Facebook is a social networking service that has been gradually replacing traditional media channels since 2010. Facebook has limited moderation of the content posted to its site. Because the site indiscriminately displays material publicly posted by users, Facebook can, in effect, threaten oppressive governments. Facebook can simultaneously propagate fake news, hate speech, and misinformation, thereby undermining the credibility of online platforms and social media.
Many countries have banned or temporarily limited access to Facebook. Use of the website has also been restricted in various ways in other countries. As of 2024, the only countries to continually ban access to the social networking site are: China, Iran, North Korea, Myanmar, Russia, Turkmenistan and Uganda. However, since most North Korean residents have no access to the Internet, China, Russia, and Iran are the only countries where access to Facebook is actively restricted in a wholesale manner, although it is possible to access the site through onion services.
Algorithmic censorship Online censorship by Facebook of algorithmic methods raises concerns including the surveillance of all instant communications and the use of machine learning systems with the potential for errors and biases. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's CEO and majority shareholder, published a memo on censorship. "What should be the limits to what people can express?" he asked. "What content should be distributed and what should be blocked? Who should decide these policies and make enforcement decisions?"
Censorship by country
Australia On 10 December 2025, due to a social media ban for children under sixteen that was announced by Anthony Albanese and came into effect on 28 November 2024, Facebook along with Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X, and other social media were blocked for children under sixteen.
Austria
Like France and Germany, Austria has laws prohibiting Holocaust denial. This caused 78 Facebook posts to be banned from the country in 2013.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (like Iran, China and North Korea) had banned Facebook before. The ban operated for about a month, precisely from November to December 2015. The Awami League-led government of Bangladesh announced a countrywide ban on Facebook and other social-network websites. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina (in office from 2009) proposed the establishment of an Internet monitoring committee with the help of Bangladesh's intelligence services. Right-wing political parties and groups in Bangladesh protested against bloggers and others they had considered "blasphemous" at the time of the proposal. Extremists in the country had murdered eight secularists, including atheist blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider, who was fatally stabbed in February 2013. National riots over the country's war-crimes trials resulted in the deaths of 56 people between 19 January 2013 and 2 March 2013.
On 18 November 2015, the same Awami League government banned Facebook again on the eve of the final judgement of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami leader Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mujahid and Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury. Both the politicians and previous minister have been issued a death sentence by the War Criminals Tribunal and the review board of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh has finally given their judgement in favour of the previously given one.
The Bangladesh government lifted the ban on 20 December 2015.
China
In China, Facebook was blocked following the July 2009 Ürümqi riots because protestors with the East Turkestan independence movement were using Facebook as part of their communications network to organize attacks across the city; Facebook refused to release the protestor identities and information to the Chinese government. Some Chinese users also believed that Facebook would not succeed in China after Google China's problems in 2013. Renren (formerly Xiaonei) has many features similar to Facebook, and complies with PRC Government regulations regarding content filtering.
As of 20 August 2013, there have been reports of Facebook being partially unblocked in China. However, according to the "Blocked in China" website, Facebook is still blocked as of 7 December 2019. Facebook is not blocked in Hong Kong and Macau, which are special administrative regions operating under different systems. Facebook is currently working on a censorship project for China, where a third party would be allowed to regulate Facebook and control popular stories that come around. This would be a huge attempt by Facebook to get back into China.
On 6 July 2020, Facebook announced that the company would stop reviewing requests for Hong Kong users' data while evaluating the newly imposed Hong Kong national security law by the Chinese government.
Egypt
Facebook was blocked for a few days in Egypt during the 2011 Egyptian revolution.
France
Like Austria and Germany, France has laws prohibiting Holocaust denial. Because of this, 80 Facebook posts were blocked in 2013.
Germany
In July 2011, authorities in Germany began to discuss the prohibition of events organized on Facebook. This was motivated by numerous cases of overcrowding by people who were not originally invited. In one instance, 1,600 "guests" attended the 16th birthday party for a girl in Hamburg who accidentally posted the invitation for the event as public. After reports of overcrowding, more than a hundred police were deployed for crowd control. A police officer was injured and eleven participants were arrested for assault, property damage, and resistance to authorities. In another unexpectedly overcrowded event, 41 young people were arrested and at least 16 injured.
In 2016, Facebook revealed Germany had blocked 84 posts from its citizens. These posts contained themes of Holocaust denial, which is illegal there.
In 2015, during the European migrant crisis with large numbers of immigrants entering the country illegally, a broad discussion about the problems of mass immigration and government politics took place in social media. Early in 2016, a Bertelsmann company called "Arvato" was mandated to erase comments and contents from Facebook. In the summer of 2016, police in fourteen German states began coordinated raids on the residences of individuals who praised the Nazi regime or referred to refugees as "scum" in a private Facebook group. A law known as NetzDG went into effect starting in 2018 which mandates all websites in Germany, including Facebook, censor such illegal content. A spokesperson for Facebook announced the company's opposition to the law on the grounds that it would lead to overblocking.
Greece
In February 2021 Facebook deleted posts and events, imposed 30-day bans on prominent journalists and members of the general public, for posting in solidarity with the 63-year-old convict Dimitris Koufodinas who is on hunger strike since 8 January 2021. Koufodinas is serving a life sentence, after having been convicted as a member of the far-left Revolutionary Organization 17 November (17N), committing 11 murders in that time. He has been demanding to be returned to Korydallos prison for months with a long hunger strike against new repressive laws.
India
The first time Facebook shared how often it allows governments to censor their citizens' content, they stated that India had censored 4,765 posts in their country in the last six months of 2013. Facebook removed these posts in India under the government's claim of unlawful content.
India imposed a three-day ban on Facebook and other social media sites during the riots in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh after the conviction of Baba Ram Rahim Singh in 2017. Censorship on Facebook increased by 19% in 6 months in 2014; India led the list of content removal in 2014.
Indonesia
In 2019, the government (through the ministry of information) threatened to ban the social network.
In 2020, Facebook censored posts about "FPI". The escalation is in December 2020 when there are six FPI-affiliated civilians killed on purported attach by Police.
On 28 March 2026, Indonesia banned social media for children under the age of 16, becoming the first country in Southeast Asia to enforce a social media ban. Platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Roblox and Bigo Live were the first to be banned; due to the country labelling them as high risk. Enforcement and account deactivation will be rolled out gradually, affecting all accounts that are reported to be under 16 and anyone who wants to access or create accounts must be verified by ID or facial scan.
Iran
After the 2009 Iranian presidential election, Facebook was banned because of fears that opposition movements were being organized on the website. However, after four years of the blocking of Facebook website, as of September 2013, the blocking of both Twitter and Facebook was thought to have been lifted without notice.
Iranians lost unrestricted access to Facebook and Twitter the next day, leaving many people wondering whether the opening was deliberate or the result of some technical glitch.
Israel
In September 2016, the Cabinet of Israel has said to have agreed with Facebook to remove content that is deemed as incitement to violence. This announcement came after top Facebook officials met with the Israeli government to determine which Facebook accounts should be deleted on the grounds that they constituted incitement to violence.
Critics of Israel's policies are not happy with this move as they claim it is being used as a way to silence outspoken Palestinian activists and journalists. The activists argue that when they post material meant to critique the occupation, Israel sees it as encouraging violence. Some believe that the Israeli government and Facebook have an "informal arrangement" for monitoring Facebook content. Jordana Cutler, who previously was the Chief of Staff at the Israel Embassy in Washington DC and a former adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is Facebook's head of policy in Israel. She claimed that Facebook is merely following suggestions. "We receive requests from the government but are not committed to them," Cutler said.
Nauru
In 2015, Nauru permanently blocked sites set up for "abusive content" such as child pornography and would temporarily block some sites like Facebook. Despite controversy surrounding the ban, President Baron Waqa defended it. In 2018, the ban on Facebook in Nauru was lifted.
North Korea
In April 2016, North Korea started blocking Facebook, "a move underscoring its concern with the spread of online information," according to the Associated Press. Anyone who tries to access it without special permission from the North Korean government will be subject to punishment.
Mauritius
The Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICTA) of Mauritius, ordered internet service providers of the country to ban Facebook effective immediately, on 8 November 2007 because of a fake profile page of the Prime Minister. Access to Facebook was restored the next day.
Morocco
On 5 February 2008, Fouad Mourtada, a citizen of Morocco, was arrested for 43 days due to the alleged creation of a faked Facebook profile of Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco.
Myanmar
On 4 February 2021, access to Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram were restricted on multiple internet providers in Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état. Facebook's usual attempts of not following and challenging the local laws and government led to the current censorship block. The censorship might remain forever and be replaced by similar social media which will abide by the local laws.
Pakistan