FB in Pakistan: “I was nearly sentenced to death for blasphemy,” says Zuckerberg
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: “I was nearly sentenced to death for blasphemy in Pakistan” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said, the media reported on Wednesday.
On the Joe Rogan Podcast, he spoke on stricter content controls, the growing regulatory pressures on technology firms worldwide, and Meta’s ongoing effort to balance free speech with adherence to local laws and cultural sensitivities.
He revealed that he had once faced the possibility of a death sentence in Pakistan over allegations of blasphemy.
Zuckerberg addressed the legal challenges Meta has encountered in Pakistan due to a lawsuit linked to allegedly blasphemous content on Facebook.
According to reports, the lawsuit accused Facebook of hosting material that contravenes Pakistan’s strict blasphemy laws, which carry severe punishments for content deemed offensive to the terror-nursery’s religious beliefs.
“There are laws in different countries that we disagree with. For instance, at one point, someone attempted to have me sentenced to death in Pakistan because a user on Facebook had posted a drawing of Prophet Mohammed. This was considered blasphemous in their culture, leading to a lawsuit and criminal proceedings against me,” he explained.
Zuckerberg said he had not closely followed the case, adding, “I’m not entirely sure what happened with it, as I have no plans to visit Pakistan. So, it wasn’t something I was too concerned about.”
He also discussed the growing regulatory pressures on technology firms worldwide, underlining the challenges posed by stricter content controls.
“Some countries hold values that clash with the principles of free expression and demand far more content restrictions than many people would consider reasonable. The ability of these governments to threaten imprisonment exerts immense pressure. I believe this is an area where the US government may need to step in to support American tech companies operating internationally,” he remarked.
