Just weeks before the Hungarian elections, Meta is reported to have started restricting the speeches of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a move that has been strongly criticized as an attempt to influence the elections.
According to information Viktor Orbáns posts on Facebook started to be throttled after an organized campaign of mass reporting of his content, reports Hungarian Conservative. The initiative is linked to people within the opposition Tisza party, where a former Meta employee is said to have encouraged this.
This is not a one-off event - it is a targeted effort that coincides with the most intense part of the election campaign.
At the same time, the opposition is lifted
Meanwhile, there are reports of unusually high turnout for the opposition's pro-EU leader Péter Magyar.
His posts reach far more people than is considered normal, despite Hungary being a small country with a limited language area. This raises questions about why some accounts are getting a much wider reach while others are being restricted.
In a high-profile post on X writes the commentator Mario Nawfal:
”As Hungary heads towards a crucial election in April, Facebook is reportedly restricting posts from the country's prime minister.”
”If Hungary's largest social platform continues to restrict Orbán's content while the opposition's accounts appear inflated, serious questions arise about freedom of expression and the integrity of democracy.”
Connections outside Hungary
At the same time, attention is being drawn to people within Meta working on content in the region. According to reports, a responsible official has expressed clear political views, including support for Ukraine and criticism of the Hungarian government.
This raises questions about who actually controls the messages that reach voters.
According to the commentator Philip Pilkington it should be a Polish man named Oskar Braszczyński, Facebook owner Meta's head of government and public affairs in Central and Eastern Europe.
He is said to have links to the Hungarian opposition, as well as being a staunch supporter of Ukraine and the LGBT movement.
In the middle of a crucial election
The restrictions come as the EU has activated a system to monitor online content ahead of the elections.
The combination of cutting off a sitting prime minister's speech, while the opposition's message is widely disseminated, is now described by critics as a serious interference in the election campaign.
The question now being asked in Hungary is simple: can an election be considered free when the flow of information is controlled in this way?
The Sosse mafia should take a 7 year ”time-out” . The party is so infected with corruption that we need to vent.