Sri Lanka’s action “is a damning indictment” of companies that once portrayed the platforms as vehicles for liberation... Last year, the government briefly blo

Sri Lanka’s action “is a damning indictment” of companies that once portrayed the platforms as vehicles for liberation... Last year, the government briefly blocked social networks after viral rumors and calls to violence, circulating largely on Facebook, appeared to provoke a wave of anti-Muslim riots and lynchings. Government officials had repeatedly warned Facebook, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, that the posts could lead to violence. Company officials largely failed to respond until the government shut down access, after which they promised to hire more moderators and improve communication. And from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/21/world/asia/sri-lanka-explosion.html https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/21/world/asia/sri-lanka-expl... Rather than trusting in Facebook and other companies to police their networks for hate speech or incitement that could arise as a result of Sunday’s attacks, the government was treating the platforms as too dangerous to remain online.