Crossroads Asia | Security | Central Asia

With Copyright Complaints, Even Imposters Can Silence Karakalpak Activists

An individual claiming to be a Diplomat editor filed a copyright complaint with Meta against a Karakalpak activist. They were an imposter. The post was taken down anyway. 

Across social media platforms, Karakalpak activists have increasingly found themselves on the wrong side of copyright and other complaints, leading to the removal of content and the disabling of profiles.  

Recently, an unknown person presenting themselves as an editor for The Diplomat filed at least one fraudulent copyright complaint, which led to the removal of a post on Facebook. This one case is illustrative of a wider weaponization of copyright law, its uneven application, and the abuse of automated reporting systems to target activists.

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Across social media platforms, Karakalpak activists have increasingly found themselves on the wrong side of copyright and other complaints, leading to the removal of content and the disabling of profiles.  

Recently, an unknown person presenting themselves as an editor for The Diplomat filed at least one fraudulent copyright complaint, which led to the removal of a post on Facebook. This one case is illustrative of a wider weaponization of copyright law, its uneven application, and the abuse of automated reporting systems to target activists.

“We are losing more than accounts and audiences,” Gulya Nur, a Karakalpak activist and president of the Via Serica Foundation, told The Diplomat. “We are losing documentation: testimony, interviews, records of abuse, and years of civil society work. After silencing outspoken people through repression inside Karakalpakstan, pressure on online voices threatens the remaining space for documenting and challenging that repression.”

On October 31, Nur contacted The Diplomat. A fellow activist, Aman Sagidullayev, had shared the text of an op-ed Nur had written, which was published by The Diplomat. Sagidullayev’s post had been reported to Meta as a copyright violation and Meta removed it, notifying Sagidullayev of the details of the complaint and his appeal options.

Sagidullayev is the leader of the Alga Karakalpakstan movement. In exile........

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