Many people were surprised when Papua New Guinea suddenly banned Facebook starting Monday. According to the government, this is a "test" to limit fake news, hate speech, and pornography.
But many opposition MPs and critics objected, saying it violated human rights.
According to Police Minister Peter Tsiamalili Jr, this is not to suppress free speech, but to protect people from bad content.
In Papua New Guinea, Facebook is the most popular social media platform used by 1.3 million users, including small businesses that rely on it for sales.
In addition, social media is a great help public discussion, especially as press freedom in the country is declining.
According to Neville Choi, president of the media council, this ban is like suppression of freedom. More alarming is that two government agencies that should know about this have no idea of the government's plan.
Opposition MP Allan Bird warned, saying that the situation is dangerous and that the people no longer have the power to stop it.
This ban coincides with the new counter-terrorism law, which gives the government power to monitor and limit online communication.
Bird added that this is a “draconian law” that takes away freedom and that the Facebook ban is “just the first step”.
Even though Facebook has been banned, many people are still able to use it using VPNs.
According to John Pora, chairman of the Small and Medium Enterprises Corporation, businessmen who rely on Facebook for income are more affected.
Papua New Guinea has long threatened to ban Facebook. In 2018, it was locked for a month to remove fake profiles. In 2023, they launched a parliamentary inquiry about fake news and social media in the country.
