The Solomon Islands is Banning Facebook to Preserve ‘National Unity’

The Solomon Islands Government has announced a nationwide ban on Facebook in a bid to combat cyberbullying and defamation, claiming the social media network is “undermining” national unity. 

Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare announced the contentious decision last week, and admitted that the ban—which has not yet come into effect—was mainly aimed at young people. He rejected suggestions that the move was an attempt at silencing the nation’s youth, however, insisting that it was in fact intended to protect them from "vile abusive language" online.

"Cyberbullying on Facebook is widespread, people have been defamed by users who use fake names, and people's reputations that have been built up over the years [are destroyed] in a matter of minutes," Sogavare told the nation's Parliament. "We have [a] duty to cultivate national unity and the happy coexistence of our people … [and Facebook] is undermining efforts to unite this country."

The government doubled down on the decision on Monday, defending the ban despite a mounting chorus of criticism—including from Opposition leader Matthew Wale, who described it as "pathetic".

"Seventy percent of our population is under the age of 30 … and that is the group that is highly visible on social media, especially Facebook," he told the ABC. "This is really pathetic. The reasons given for the ban are not weighty enough."

The proposed ban will be temporary, and will only be enforced until the government can pass additional laws to govern user behaviour on Facebook. It is not yet clear how exactly the ban would work, though, and communications officials are expected to meet with internet and telecommunications providers to discuss the technical details.

The decision to crack down on the social media network comes just weeks after documents leaked on Facebook revealed how the Solomon Islands Government had spent COVID-19 funds for economic recovery—an exposition that led to criticism and anti-government sentiment. 

A few weeks ago, the Solomon Islands Government faced criticism over documents leaked on Facebook that showed how COVID-19 funds for economic recovery had been spent and allegedly misappropriated. It’s possible that this is the true motivation behind the ban, according to Ruth Liloqula, head of the anti-corruption group Transparency Solomon Islands, who said it was "an indication that our Government is becoming very authoritarian".

Facebook has also denounced the government’s decision, with a spokeswoman telling Reuters that such a move would "impact thousands of people in the Solomon Islands who use our services to connect and engage in important discussions across the Pacific". The social media giant said it would reach out to local officials to discuss the move.

The Solomon Islands is not the first South Pacific nation to consider a Facebook ban, with leaders in Fiji, Samoa and Papua New Guinea all threatening to do the same in recent years.

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