Vladimir Putin recently announced that if Facebook and
Twitter want to remain online in Russia, then they must comply with local
censorship and storage laws. While many criticize
Putin for this action, it is my opinion that these two social media websites
shouldn’t be given special exemption from local laws. Before I am accused of
supporting tyranny, let me first explain.
Just as Clay Shirky conveyed in the video we watched in
class about self-expression and the internet revolution, I fully believe in the
goodness and power of freedom of expression.
I find that Russia would enjoy greater liberty, self-respect and
stability if it discontinued the restrictive censorship that currently exists. However, if all other media organizations within
Russia have to comply with laws of the land, than why should Facebook and
Twitter be exceptions simply because they are based in the cloud?
https://gigaom.com/2014/09/26/russia-orders-google-facebook-and-twitter-to-comply-with-local-storage-and-censorship-laws/
https://gigaom.com/2014/09/26/russia-orders-google-facebook-and-twitter-to-comply-with-local-storage-and-censorship-laws/
You bring up an interesting point, but where would Russia's power end. Would they demand the same for blogging sites, online forums, etc. I think ff freedom of speech becomes blocked on popular social networks in Russia, that discussion will simply move onto smaller and less mainstream networks.
ReplyDeleteTo me, Facebook and Twitter have no other choice but to comply if they want to function in Russia.
ReplyDelete