Sri Lanka Blocks Social Media Amid Bomb Attacks -- Update
22 April 2019 - 7:50AM
Dow Jones News
By Newley Purnell and Jon Emont
As Sri Lankan authorities scrambled amid a wave of deadly
bombings across the country on Easter morning, among their first
responses was to block social media, including Facebook and the
popular messaging service WhatsApp.
Both services, owned by Facebook Inc., and others functioned
poorly or ceased to work altogether in the hours after the attacks
Sunday, according to users.
The curbs reflect growing concerns in many parts of the world
about the spread false information and hate speech on social media
and the use of online platforms to incite or exacerbate tensions.
The government's steps also underscore their concern that social
media companies cannot control harmful content themselves.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe called on Sri Lankans to
"please avoid propagating unverified reports and speculation. The
government is taking immediate steps to contain this
situation."
But others say that cutting off social media during a crisis
limits the ability of citizens to seek assistance and confirm the
safety of family and friends, while curbing the government's
capability to refute rumors and disseminate emergency
information.
Facebook and other digital spaces have come under sharp
criticism in recent years as extremists have used them to stoke
violence in the real world, including in Sri Lanka and Myanmar. A
number of countries have focused attention on the gaps in social
media companies' policing of online posts and are seeking to impose
regulations on them.
In March last year, Sri Lanka's government blocked social media
in parts of the country after rumors and anti-Muslim posts
circulated unchecked as sectarian violence broke out. Facebook also
has been used to stir up hatred and deadly attacks against Muslims
in Myanmar.
Facebook has taken some steps to improve its ability to remove
harmful content relating to the two countries and to respond faster
to volatile situations. Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg
has said the company is investing heavily in efforts to police hate
speech, including hiring tens of thousands of content moderators
world-wide.
Still, companies like Facebook face numerous challenges, from
the limits of artificial intelligence tools to uncover hate speech
to religious and ethnic complexities in countries like Sri Lanka
and the difficulties in moderating content in dozens of
languages.
Mr. Zuckerberg has said artificial intelligence is years away
from being able to manage the problem without significant human
involvement.
On the flip side, social media can also be a powerful tool in
combating misinformation that is sanctioned by governments. Last
week, activists in Sudan credited Facebook as a key factor in
helping to topple an autocratic government, as organizers used the
platform to promote protests and refute comments from officials
that the movement was losing momentum.
In Sri Lanka, government officials confirmed that authorities
blocked access to social media as part of a broader curfew order.
Economy Minister Harsha de Silva called the ban temporary in a
press conference, and said access would be allowed again early
Monday morning.
At least eight explosions tore through churches and
international hotels in Sri Lanka on Sunday, killing at least 207
people and wounding more than 450 in what appeared to be
coordinated attacks on tourists and the minority Christian
community. Most of them focused on the capital.
Instagram, YouTube, Viber, Snapchat and Facebook Messenger were
also among the sites blocked, according to NetBlocks, a
London-based digital rights group, and other internet monitoring
groups.
A Facebook spokeswoman confirmed that Facebook, WhatsApp and
Instagram were blocked, among other social media platforms. Viber
didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. A
representative for Snapchat couldn't immediately be reached.
Twitter appeared to be unaffected, with users in Sri Lanka
continuing to post tweets. A spokesman for Twitter Inc. didn't
immediately respond to a request for comment.
"It's been a while since we saw a post-attack shutdown like
this," said Alp Toker, NetBlocks's director. "These disruptions are
extremely problematic as they limit the public's ability to seek
assistance and check up on friends and family in a time of
crisis."
Government officials, however, have argued that social media
encourages the spread of misinformation. Several, including the
country's prime minister, used Twitter to discourage people from
speculating about who perpetrated the attacks or disseminating
information that wasn't issued or confirmed by authorities.
Write to Newley Purnell at newley.purnell@wsj.com and Jon Emont
at jonathan.emont@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 21, 2019 17:35 ET (21:35 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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