Why did Cambodia expel Facebook representatives?

Cambodia announced the expulsion of Facebook representatives and the termination of all public-private partnerships with the social networking platform.

Why did Cambodia expel Facebook representatives?
Cambodia announced the expulsion of Facebook representatives and the termination of all public-private partnerships with the social networking platform.

The Cambodian Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) stated that it has checked whether there are any abnormalities in the services provided by Facebook for Cambodian users, and found many problems such as the creation of false accounts and data risks. Privacy, Use and Collection of Private Data.

The MPT said Facebook spread disinformation, lacked accountability and transparency, and “interfered in the political affairs of the country”.

For the above reasons, the MPT has decided not only to expel Facebook representatives, but also to terminate relations with the management of companies in the public and private sectors associated with the social network. The decision takes effect from the date of notification.

Tensions between Cambodia and Facebook, owned by the U.S.-based Meta Group, intensified last week. Meta’s independent advisory committee recommended that Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Facebook account be banned for six months for posting videos that violated community standards.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen subsequently announced the deletion of a Facebook account with more than 14 million followers. He announced that he would switch to the Telegram platform because it is more efficient and able to work in many countries where Facebook is banned.

Prime Minister Hun Sen said he left Facebook because someone copied his account, which could cause confusion.