Solomon Islands banning Facebook? On November 17, the Solomon Islands’ cabinet proposed restricting its citizens’ access to Facebook, “The Diplomat” reports.

Amidts fierce criticism from the opposition, Communications Minister Peter Agovaka said that the platform would be banned due to the circulation of “abusive languages against Ministers, the Prime Minister, character assassination, [and] defamation of character.”

It is not the first time that Facebook is banned by entire states, being now absent from the social media community in China, Iran, North Korea, and Naharu, i.e. the 18% of the World population.

In China, Facebook was blocked following the July 2009 Ürümqi riots because Xinjiang independence activists were using Facebook as part of their communications network.

As well, Iran, after the 2009 elections, banned the website because of fears that opposition movements were being organised on the website.

Further, in April 2016, North Korea started blocking Facebook. This allegedly happened as “a move underscoring its concern with the spread of online information”.

Often hailed as a way to protect government, or the weakest fringes of the population, the ban of Silicon Valley-located social media giants is more often a sheer attack to the US itself.

In other words, a sheer geopolitical move.

Therefore, Solomon Islands banning Facebook is not a new phenomenon.

 

The full report is available here.