Solomon Islands Government Prepares Mass Digital Detox Rules For Citizens Of Facebook Users

Photo illustration (Joshua Hoehne / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The Solomon Islands government plans to ban Facebook. The ban was put in place to protect residents from cyberbullying and online defamation. It's a kind of detox

Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said cyberbullying has become a poison that disrupts the lives of people in Solomon Islands. And Facebook, said Sogavare, is a toxic ecosystem.

"Cyberbullying on Facebook is widespread. People have been slandered by users using fake names. And the reputation of people who have been built over the years (destroyed) in a matter of minutes," said Sogavare, proclaimed ABC, Thursday, November 26.

Critics called the Solomon Islands move an exaggeration. They said this was just an excuse made by the government to silence critical opposition voices in cyberspace.

In addition, critics also view Sogavare's plans as unclear in banning the massive social media network. How is the ban enforced and for how long? Fundamental questions that Sogavare and his administration have not yet been able to answer.

Opposition lawmaker and foreign relations committee chairman Peter Kenilorea Jr. called the ban "a direct and brazen attack on freedom of expression," The Guardian reported.

On the executive side, the country's cabinet agreed to ban Facebook. This attitude has been expressed since last week.

"Harsh language against the minister, Merdana Minister, assassination of character, defamation, these are all issues of concern," Minister of Communications and Civil Aviation Peter Shanel Agovaka told the local Solomon Times newspaper at the time.

Agovaka also said the move was to "protect our young people from harmful content" because there are currently "no laws regulating internet use" that would allow them to "download harmful things from the internet."

The Solomon Islands are not alone in their efforts to silence Facebook. Other countries in the Pacific including Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Samoa have all considered implementing similar bans as well.