Social media platforms taking action on illegal Guyana maps

Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud who was accompanied by Donette Streete, Head of Frontiers Unit on Wednesday met virtually with Facebook senior representatives regarding false narratives and illegal maps of Guyana reference to the country’s border with Venezuela.

The meeting was convened after the Foreign Secretary penned letters to Facebook’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Zuckerberg and CEO of Twitter, Parag Agrawal to have the inaccurate information and illegal maps removed from the respective platforms.

Persaud told the representatives that the Guyana Government is concerned about the spread of disinformation since the matter is currently before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The foreign secretary is expected to have a follow up discussion with the social media platforms on ongoing efforts to have Guyana’s concerns addressed.

The foreign secretary had cause to write to the social media companies after a campaign of disinformation was being waged against Guyana by several Spanish social media accounts, sharing an illegal map claiming the Essequibo region as Venezuela’s territory.

The Guyana/Venezuela border controversy is currently before the ICJ and Guyana is confident that the court will rule in its favour concerning the validity of the Arbitral Award of 1899 which states that Essequibo belongs to Guyana.