Facebook disables auditor-general’s support group page

Facebook has disabled a support group page for auditor-general Odysseas Michaelides, citing violations of its community standards.

According to news outlet Stockwatch, the social media platform deactivated the page after receiving numerous complaints about it.

The page had some 58,000 followers.

Some of the complaints made about the page concerned posts about the president, his wife, the attorney-general and his deputy, as well as other politicians.

One of the very last posts uploaded to the Facebook page concerned the prime minister of Thailand. A caption in the post had the prime minister saying that journalists not telling the truth would be executed.

Stockwatch said it was difficult to determine which post ultimately was responsible for Facebook’s decision to nix the page, as the social media giant does not enter into a conversation with persons making complaints.

At any rate, the outlet recalled how last December it reported that the attorney-general had written to the administrators of the support page urging them to remove offensive posts that contained insults and threats against Cypriot state officials.

The AG had then pointed out that safeguarding institutions and officials serving the state “leaves no room for tolerating behaviours that constitute insults, threats and attacks against the honour, dignity and bodily safety of individuals.”

Under pressure from the AG, who warned that he’d activate procedures leading to criminal investigations, the page took down some of the offending posts.

Savvides had given the support group 24 hours to delete all “abusive” posts relating to the leadership of the attorney-general’s office, independent officials and other individuals.

As for Michaelides himself, when recently asked to step in and stop the stream of offending posts, he replied he had nothing whatsoever to do with the support group and that he had no control over the content.

Following Facebook’s decision to disable the page, angry followers took to other social media platforms to warn that the support group would “come back with a vengeance, because some fear the truth.”

Other posters agreed with the page’s removal from Facebook, thinking the auditor-general’s support group had gone too far.