Bangladesh blocks Facebook - A lesson against government control

The Nation of Bangladesh's chief telecommunications regulator, Zia Ahmed, has ordered the social networking site Facebook blocked within his nation, because he says the site allows the publishing of caricatures of Islam's prophet Muhammad. Bangladesh is a Muslim majority nation.

Pakistan, also a predominantly Muslim nation, has previously blocked Facebook for the same reason.

In the United States, citizens have free access to the internet, with no central government control. If the public isn't vigilant, this may not always be the case. Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) introduced legislation last year that would give the President "emergency control" over the internet within the United States, with the ability to completely shut down the medium during a "declared emergency".

I'm not certain that a "declared emergency" would be the right time to shut down what has become an important source of information and communication in the United States, and I'm not certain any President should have that power.

Rockefeller's bill has recieved stiff opposition, and has been taken to back to the "drawing board" several times for re-write with the hopes that revised versions will be better accepted by congress. Still, the threat of government control of the internet remains.

As recently as this month (May, 2010), the Federal Communication Commision (FCC), which currently controls broadcast television and radio, and the nation's telephone system, made moves to assert control over the internet by declaring it a public utility. This clears the way for FCC control over the internet, which is a clear "end run" around both Congress and Federal Courts, which have taken a "hands off" approach to the internet.

Allowing government control of the internet sets a dangerous precedent. Imagine logging on and finding the President or some Federal agency has declared an emergency, and you are no longer able to access your email, work files, business records, pay bills, handle your bank accounts, etc. Shutting down sites like Facebook is just the tip of the iceberg.