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Saturday, January 14, 2017

Facebook Is Already Flirting With Censorship

Censorship is almost always a touchy subject, but it's also par for the course in certain parts of the world. Just as Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) is now coming to gripsOpens a New Window. with its own power and responsibility over what information people see, it seems that the company is starting to flirt a little bit with censorship.

In Thailand, a local law prohibits any public criticism of Thailand's royal family. But one prominent journalist has discovered that his posts, along with posts from other users, regarding the royal transition following King Bhumibol Adulyadej's death in October are apparently being blocked within Thailand, according to TechCrunchOpens a New Window.. The posts in question are available outside of Thailand, but unavailable within the country, suggesting that Facebook is censoring content based on the geographical location of users. The blocking seems to be in response to a government request. Facebook discloses government requestsOpens a New Window. that it receives around the world, and notes that it restricted 10 pieces of content between January 2016 and June 2016 in Thailand.

In the grand scheme of things, Thailand is a pretty small country with a population of nearly 70 million people. Facebook's apparent willingness to compromise on censorship has much greater implications for another Asian country.

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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Facebook was created by and is managed by Intelligence Agencies (multiple).
Mark Zuckerberg works for intelligence. He is merely the front man for the project.
Facebook is the greatest spying tool ever invented and the people have willingly accepted it into their lives.

Anonymous said...

Facebook is a cesspool of human debris. Only the most self centered conceited fools would go there.

Anonymous said...

4:29 sounds like you had a bad experience on Facebook.

Anonymous said...

Fakebook

Anonymous said...

Everyone thinks their a model. Most are fat sweaty and doing something everyday people do. I don't get it.

Anonymous said...

Facebook totally and completely manages post distribution, memes and news links via complex algorithms. They regularly suppress and or promote a particular political agenda. The Zuckster is an American neo communist.
Fortunately, there is a significant population of Americans that have not lost there mind to the liberal propaganda on Facebook. (and they voted)