Facebook and Censorship

There is no privacy on the Internet

  Technology always brings with it a need for new definitions as society adjusts to the wonders of new capabilities.
   Now, it's the Facebook company that must deal with the issue of whether it's an information company, where First Amendment principles apply, or a service company, which only provides a platform for users and is not responsible for the content, whether information, gossip or advertising.
   Newspapers, magazines and broadcast outlets can publish virtually anything, but even they are subject to editorial decisions and discretion, as well as to libel laws. And the content of advertising is controlled by a separate department of the company, not by the editors.
   People can also send information to each other through the postal service or via telephone, and those exchanges cannot be monitored by government except through a warrant issued by a court of law.
   Or people can peaceably assemble, demonstrate and express their opinions through printed posters and chanting.
   News media are subject to the laws of libel as well as their moral obligation to print truth, and people can display their views individually or in groups as long as they do so peaceably.
   But what about Facebook and other social media platforms, where people can sign on anonymously and write whatever they please, regardless of truth or potential for harm?
   Does Facebook have a legal or moral obligation to monitor all postings by individuals, or to clear the messages of advertisers for truth and accuracy? Should Facebook censor everything that appears on its website? Likewise, does that principle apply to all the other operations that travel on the Internet, including email systems?
   The next question becomes, who should monitor all these companies to make sure they are living up to the obligation to keep their websites "clean"?
   Government censors, perhaps?
   But government and law enforcement cannot open your (print) mail or listen to your telephone calls unless permitted through a court warrant.
   It has not yet been established whether email is equal to regular mail, which cannot be intercepted or read unless approved by a judge. Nor has it been established that the content on a Facebook page -- or any other social media site -- should be monitored or controlled by the host company or anyone else. That's censorship.
   Meanwhile, users must remember that there is no privacy on the Internet, and you can't believe everything you read there.
   Know your sources. It's the price we pay for Free Speech and Freedom of the Press.