SFDA, Cosmetics Europe Sign MOU on Regulation and Safety

SFDA, Cosmetics Europe Sign MOU on Regulation and Safety
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SFDA, Cosmetics Europe Sign MOU on Regulation and Safety

SFDA, Cosmetics Europe Sign MOU on Regulation and Safety

The Saudi Food & Drug Authority (SFDA) recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the European professional association Cosmetics Europe (CE) to strengthen collaboration and communication in the field of cosmetics regulation and safety.

The MOU was signed by SFDA’s Vice President of Drug Sector, Dr. Adel Al-Har, and CE Director General John Chave.

The MOU aims at sharing common experiences and knowledge between the two parties in the field of cosmetics regulation and safety to determine a framework under which their fruitful cooperation in the regulatory aspects and safety of cosmetics is promoted, they can discuss challenges, and work to find possible solutions.

Terms of the MOU include creating cosmetics regulation in line with international best practices to overcome the challenges of the cosmetics market, promoting a harmonized regulatory vision ensuring a high level of safety for consumers, and collaborating on adverse events reporting and handling.

CE is a liaison between the regulatory companies and authorities in Europe and the official representative for cosmetics and personal-care products. Its membership includes major cosmetics and personal-care companies and manufacturers, as well as a number of subsidiary associations representing start-ups and small businesses at the national level across Europe.



Zuckerberg Says Biden Administration Pressured Meta to Censor COVID-19 Content

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg
Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg
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Zuckerberg Says Biden Administration Pressured Meta to Censor COVID-19 Content

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg
Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg said senior officials in the Biden administration had pressured his social media company to censor COVID-19 content during the pandemic, adding that he would push back if this were to happen again.
In a letter dated Aug. 26, Zuckerberg told the judiciary committee of the US House of Representatives that he regretted not speaking up about this pressure earlier, as well as some decisions the Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp owner had made around removing certain content.
"In 2021, senior officials from the Biden Administration, including the White House, repeatedly pressured our teams for months to censor certain COVID-19 content, including humor and satire, and expressed a lot of frustration with our teams when we didn't agree," Zuckerberg wrote in the letter, which was posted by the Committee on the Judiciary on its Facebook page.
"I believe the government pressure was wrong, and I regret we were not more outspoken about it," he wrote. "I also think we made some choices that, with the benefit of hindsight and new information, we wouldn't make today."
The White House and Meta did not respond to a request for comment outside US business hours.
The letter was addressed to Jim Jordan, the chairman of the committee and a Republican. In its Facebook post, the committee called the letter a "big win for free speech" and said that Zuckerberg had admitted that "Facebook censored Americans".
In the letter, Zuckerberg also said he would not make any contributions to support electoral infrastructure in this year's presidential election so as to "not play a role one way or another" in the November vote.
During the last election, which was held in 2020 during the pandemic, the billionaire contributed $400 million via the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, his philanthropy venture with his wife, to support election infrastructure, a move that drew criticism and lawsuits from some groups that said the move was partisan.