As the dressed up trucks rumble their way down the Pakistani roads, a Pakistani court lifted its ban, since May 19, on Facebook after company officials apologized for maintaining a page “offensive to Muslims.” The ban had been in effect for more than 2 weeks after users posted competing “Everyone Draw Mohammad Day” pages, wherein the sites encouraged users to post images of the prophet to protest threats made by a radical Muslim group against the creators of Comedy Central’s South Park.
Facebook, according to a news report from the Associated Press, assured the Pakistani government that “nothing of this sort will happen in the future.”
Already the cries of free speech can be heard in the digital corridors of Facebook users. In an article in PC World, Facebook admits to “censorship.”
Is Facebook being politically and religiously cautious or sensitive? Is the company imposing itself on its users? What do you think? Let us know your thoughts, because this goes beyond a mere ban and a company succumbing to demands – this move could have a domino effect on all social media mediums.
A New York Times editorial comments on this debate, noting that since Facebook is not a publicly traded company, it does not have to adhere t expectations of freedom of speech.
Facebook is still banned in Bangladesh right now.