Tuesday, 11 March 2014 00:14
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SRI Lankan authorities have blocked hundreds of defamatory Facebook accounts in the country, as the challenge to deal with social media gets heated.
Senior Information Security Engineer of the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT) Roshan Chandragupta had told the media that over 300 Facebook accounts that were used to embarrass and harm the reputation of numerous people have been blocked by them.
He said the SLCERT had received complaints about hundreds of Facebook accounts and over 300 accounts were blocked as a result of investigations carried out on those complaints. Most of the complaints were made by students and artists about fake Facebook accounts that have been created using their photographs. This is also stark reminder of how principles need to be developed within a society so that people know to behave responsibly, within or without the internet. Such harassment can also be seen as an extension of events that take place on a daily basis.
These large numbers of accounts were blocked within the first two months of this year – a development that runs parallel to several suicides that grabbed headlines and brought the discourse of access to social media to the forefront.
While the Government has emphatically stated it will not ban Facebook and attempted to shore up its lacklustre credentials for supporting freedom of expression by cautiously supporting social media, others linked to the ruling party, such as Housing Minister Wimal Weerawansa, took the opportunity to charge that Opposition parties were pro-Facebook purely because they could spread dissenting views via that platform. He made these statements during the rally that shortly followed the opening of the Outer Circular Highway on Saturday.
Under severe pressure from the public and with disturbing news such as a secret room used by the principal of the school in Kurunegala where a female student committed suicide by hanging herself has made the Education Ministry finally realise the threat and undertake training programs for education officials to better deal with challenges posed by social media.
Whatever adults may think, social networking through means such as Facebook and Twitter is here to stay. So are mobile phones. This means that parents and teachers need to find a humane way to set boundaries and teach youth, especially girls, the responsible ways of using these modes of communication. This also means that adults themselves need to determine the type and severity of how children can be held accountable for their actions.
Traditional modes of upbringing are being challenged through such social changes and what is acceptable or unacceptable has undergone vast changes over the last few years. The lines between rules are being blurred as never before and adults are usually unsure of how to effectively tackle the fallout. It is a clarion call for change.
This is not to condone or promote irresponsible, hurtful and malignant behaviour on social networking sites, but to urge adults to take a step back, learn, understand and engage with children so that technology can be a tool rather than a curse.
