[ad_1]
The government of the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific wants to temporarily ban the use of Facebook due to abuse and lack of regulation. “Offensive language against ministers and the prime minister, the murder of personalities and the defamation of people are all worrying points,” Communications Minister Peter Shanel Agovaka told the Solomon Times newspaper.
As a result, the government cabinet agreed to block Facebook for a certain period of time. There is currently no legislation to regulate the use of the internet, said Communications Minister Agovaka. But young people need to be protected from harmful content.
The opposition criticizes the planned blockade
Facebook is a popular platform among the approximately 650,000 Solomon Islands people living on the archipelago islands. The Solomon Islands government is currently facing sharp criticism from its residents on social media platforms for distributing economic aid in the crown pandemic. A shift in foreign policy from Taiwan to China is also attracting criticism.
Opposition leader Matthew Wale criticized the planned Facebook blockade in an interview with Reuters. “I don’t see any justification for a ban,” Wale said.
The Prime Minister himself uses Facebook
How the island state, which belongs to Melanesia, will technically implement the ban and how long it will apply is still unclear, according to the Solomon Times report. Additionally, Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare used Facebook itself to broadcast speeches live to the nation.
A Facebook spokesperson told Reuters that the Solomon Islands government would be contacted to discuss the situation.
So far, there has been a total ban on Facebook in China, Iran and North Korea.
Source link
