Oversight
Sri Lanka’s Decision to Censor Social Platforms Is Indefensible
Freedom of information — online and off — is something every country deserves
Freedom of information — online and off — isn’t something that only Western countries deserve.
The citizens of Sri Lanka are suffering through an unspeakable tragedy this week, as more than 300 people were killed in multiple terror attacks on Easter Sunday. Yet on Monday, much of the conversation centered around the Sri Lankan government’s decision to block Facebook, WhatsApp, and Google services in response to the attacks, saying the companies are responsible for sowing misinformation and that their use could lead to more violence.
In what is an emblematic shift in how the public views internet censorship, instead of protesting, many people — including, surprisingly, many journalists — gave this authoritarian decision their tacit or explicit approval.
These views were crystallized by prominent tech journalist Kara Swisher, who wrote the following Monday in an op-ed for the New York Times, “So when the Sri Lankan government temporarily shut down access to American social media services like Facebook and Google’s YouTube after the bombings there on Easter morning, my first thought was ‘good.’”
