Papua New Guinea to Ban Facebook for a Month in Bid to Stamp out Fake Users, Harmful Content & Misinformation
Ever since news of the Cambridge Analytical scandal first
broke, Facebook has been on the receiving end of some widespread and truly
sincere criticism, with many turning away from the platform altogether out of
fear of their privacy being compromised. Over in Papua New Guinea however, the government
are taking a rather more drastic approach.
The country’s Communication Minister, Sam Basil, announced
this week that Facebook and its associated services will be banned through
Papua New Guinea for the duration of one month in an effort to root out fake
users, harmful content, and the spread of misinformation, among other cited
issues. During this time, the government will partake in research and analysis
of the platform and its use, using this data to shape future policy.
Mr Basil told the Post Courier, “The time will allow information to be collected to identify users
that hide behind fake accounts, users that upload pornographic images, users
that post false and misleading information on Facebook to be filtered and
removed. This will allow genuine people with real identities to use the social
network responsibly.
“The [Cyber Crime 2016] Act has already been passed, so what
I’m trying to do is to ensure the law is enforced accordingly where
perpetrators can be identified and charged accordingly. We cannot allow the
abuse of Facebook to continue in the country. I will now work closely with the
Police for them to be properly trained and informed to fully enforce the Cyber
Crime Act.”
Beyond the ban, Mr Basil also hinted that the PNG government may go so far as to create their own
alternative platform to take Facebook’s place. He stated, “We can also look at
the possibility of creating a new social network site for PNG citizens to use with genuine profiles as well.
“If there need be then we can gather our local applications developers to create a site that is more conducive for Papua New Guineans to communicate within the country and abroad as well.”
“If there need be then we can gather our local applications developers to create a site that is more conducive for Papua New Guineans to communicate within the country and abroad as well.”
The timescale for this ban does seem rather strange; if
Facebook as a platform is so harmful then what do they hope to change in a
single month? Moreover, why is a shutdown even necessary if their intention is simply
to conduct research and analysis which can be achieved while the site is live?
Surely a live site would enable easier and more reliable research? Maybe in
time the answers to these questions will become clear, but for now we can only
wait to see what transpires.
Sam
is an aspiring novelist with a passion for fantasy and crime thrillers.
Currently working as Editor of Social Songbird, he hopes to one day drop that
'aspiring' prefix. Follow him @Songbird_Sam
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Papua New Guinea to Ban Facebook for a Month in Bid to Stamp out Fake Users, Harmful Content & Misinformation
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Rating:
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Rating:
Unknown
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