Solomon Islands to ban Facebook for the sake of 'national unity'
The Solomon Islands Government defends its decision to place a temporary ban on Facebook, a move it says is aimed at tackling cyberbullying and online defamation.
The ban, which has not yet come into effect, received an angry response online after it was announced last week.
Communications officials are expected to meet with internet and telecommunications providers in Solomon Islands to discuss how they will block the world's largest social media network.
Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare told the nation's Parliament the ban was necessary in order to preserve national unity.
"Cyberbullying on Facebook is widespread, people have been defamed by users who use fake names, and people's reputations that have been built up over the years [are destroyed] in a matter of minutes," he said.
Mr Sogavare said the planned ban mainly targeted young people, but said it was aimed at protecting them from "vile abusive language" and not an attempt at silencing them.
The exact technical details of how the ban would work — whether it would involve the use of a firewall, for example — are still being ironed out.
It has drawn a heated response from the Government's opponents, with Opposition leader Matthew Wale labelling the ban "pathetic" and unjust.
"Seventy per cent of our population is under the age of 30 … and that is the group that is highly visible on social media, especially Facebook," he told the ABC.
"This is really pathetic. The reasons given for the ban are not weighty enough."
Communications officials are expected to meet with internet and telecommunications providers in Solomon Islands to discuss how they will block the world's largest social media network.
Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare told the nation's Parliament the ban was necessary in order to preserve national unity.
"Cyberbullying on Facebook is widespread, people have been defamed by users who use fake names, and people's reputations that have been built up over the years [are destroyed] in a matter of minutes," he said.
Mr Sogavare said the planned ban mainly targeted young people, but said it was aimed at protecting them from "vile abusive language" and not an attempt at silencing them.
The exact technical details of how the ban would work — whether it would involve the use of a firewall, for example — are still being ironed out.
It has drawn a heated response from the Government's opponents, with Opposition leader Matthew Wale labelling the ban "pathetic" and unjust.
"Seventy per cent of our population is under the age of 30 … and that is the group that is highly visible on social media, especially Facebook," he told the ABC.
"This is really pathetic. The reasons given for the ban are not weighty enough."
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
