Facebook is one of the biggest technology giants in the world. It’s each move; whether it is expanding its reach to more people or cost-cutting measures, it is examined with a magnifying glass. Sometimes, its actions towards offering information to third parties have been widely criticized; the Cambridge Analytica scandal is one of them.

Recently, Facebook crossed another milestone concerning active users’ figures. As of December 2019, Facebook has over 2.5 billion active monthly users, which is a great achievement and an increase when compared to YoY. Facebook has left behind all the other platforms and apps.

The availability of news with the emphasis on free and fair press and freedom of speech are two aspects that Facebook is always known for. But the recent episode of Singaporean government asking Facebook to block the States Times Review’s (STR) FB page was a blow to its policy. On February 19th, 2020, Facebook was ordered to block the page of STR on Facebook in violation of the Singaporean government’s order to remove news that it thought was fake and spread false news.

Why Facebook Complied with the Singaporean Government? 

This act of Facebook will be criticized by Watchdogs around the world and even the general public too. But Facebook itself is not in favor of such a move. But it has to comply with the decision as there is much on stake. Singapore is Facebook’s Asia-Pacific headquarters and the company is about to open a new data center in the city in less than two years.

While the fine, in case of Facebook’s non-compliance in this concern, would be peanuts for the social media giant, to the tune of 0.5 Million Singapore Dollars. The issues that I have mentioned above, however, are the reasons for the quick compliance by Facebook. So, what does this mean for Facebook, all the other social media platforms and the future of freedom of speech and press on cyberspace?

Let’s analyze all this and more in a bit detail now so that the readers not familiar with this topic would know how it all started and what to expect in the future.

Why the Ban in the First Place?

The news about the shortage of face masks in Singapore in the wake of Coronavirus was published by STR and was denied instantly by Singapore. The government’s denial came quickly but there was news in other publications too that people in Singapore were scrambling to get the masks as Singapore reported dozens of virus cases. The stance from the Singapore government was that STR used its Facebook page to spread false information.

We all know the power of Facebook and its reach. It will not be wrong to say that We all know the power of Facebook and its reach. It will not be wrong to say that Social media and Facebook, in particular, are going to rule how marketing and influencing people towards products will be done. The fact that the Singapore government asked the management of Facebook to block its page is one good reason that tells us about the importance of Facebook.

The editor of STR is an Australian citizen Alex Tan, who has refused, in the past, too, about putting up any notice on his website, which the Singapore government ordered him to do so. The role of Facebook in making sure that they have complied with the requirements of the Singapore government has sparked a new controversy with the freedom of speech on top of everything.

How will Facebook Tackle Issues like these in the Future?

The role of social media is just not limited to offering people solutions regarding meeting online and socializing. Facebook has become one of the biggest marketing tools online, and hundreds of thousands of companies are benefiting from using Facebook’s services. That’s why Facebook will look into matters like this in the future so that its reputation as a great marketing tool won’t be compromised. The matter is not as straightforward as you would think.

Facebook has to comply with the regulations and laws of all the countries in which it is operating. Just like the case we have just discussed, there will be many other cases like this. If Facebook complies with all of them, its reputation will be severely damaged as a result. While they have already started a Facebook news tab, the fact that this matter is not just limited to just a single country. In Early February 2020, the UK also announced to tighten the rules on social media platforms and how they must cooperate with it.

Final Word

The job for online marketers using social media is looking tough in the coming days as governments and authorities around the world are trying to curb down the way these networks work. Facebook is at the center of the storm, and their every move will be examined with a magnifying glass by every stakeholder involved.

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