Facebook Inc Colluding With Sirisena’s ‘Unconstitutional Rule’: Agrees To Share Confidential Information On 16 ‘Political Profiles’
President Maithripala Sirisena’s
office has demanded Facebook Inc to disclose confidential information
pertaining to pages operated by 16 politicians, Colombo Telegraph can
reveal.
Out of 16 politicians who are under scrutiny, 10 represent the United
National Party (06) while others are from President Sirisena’s own camp –
the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA). Among those who are in the
President’s office Facebook watch list are Sirisena’s
recently-appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his son, Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa.
Ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickrmesinghe and several politicians who are closely associated with him are among the 10 UNP MPs selected by the President’s Office.
The details President Sirisena’s office has requested from Facebook Inc
includes the names of Admins and Editors, their IP addresses and
locations, details pertaining to the engagement of these pages, their
demographics, and other confidential details that Facebook Inc. does not
share with third parties.
Colombo Telegraph learns that Sirisena’s office has requested the details citing “national security concerns.”
We can also confirm that a senior representative from the Department of
Government Policy and Public Affairs (South Asia) of Facebook Inc has
met President Sirisena and his representatives last week for a meeting.
Sirisena,
at the meeting, had insisted that the global tech company should
present the requested details within two weeks or the government will
resort to “drastic action”.
Facebook representative has agreed to comply with the Sri Lankan
government’s request due to fears that if Sri Lanka adopts drastic
measures against the social media platform, it will influence bigger
markers in the region, such as Singapore, to follow suit.
However, if Facebook complies with the Sri Lankan government’s unethical
demands, the company will seriously comprise its commitment to privacy
of the users, a top company source said.
Sri Lanka shutdown Facebook Inc platforms and other online messaging
platforms, during the outbreak of racial violence in the Kandy district,
in March, this year.
