Speaking with Facebook and voicing concerns is more effective than long extended bans on social networking sites
KARACHI: We all know the role that social media plays in our lives now. Suddenly, cell phones have become “man’s best friend” and our entire existence revolves around a number of apps — Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, Snapchat and Twitter. It may be a sweeping statement, but Facebook is perhaps the most significant social network — after all, a day is incomplete without a scroll through its newsfeed, multiple times a day.
That is why I think it is commendable that the Pakistan government is demonstrating tremendous foresight by talking to Facebook. In a major development regarding efforts being made for countering and removing sacrilegious content from social media, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali met Facebook Vice-President Joel Kaplan on Friday, July 7th, and discussed various steps and actions being taken to remove the content that is illegal in Pakistan.
Facebook, on its part, has restated its commitment to keep the platform innocuous and endorse principles that are in congruence with its community standards. It also committed to removing fake accounts, explicit, hateful and provocative material that incites violence and terrorism.
This kind of cooperation is the way of the future and should be celebrated. Nisar said that the government of Pakistan firmly believes in freedom of expression but cannot allow anyone to misuse social media for hurting religious sentiments or undertaking unlawful activities. I think speaking one-on-one with Facebook and voicing the country’s concerns is a more effective move than long extended bans on social networking sites. This meeting offers Pakistan leverage and gives us importance as well.
Shuja Haider
Published in The Express Tribune, July 9th, 2017.
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