Following concerns of circular fake news and rumours, Sri Lanka’s electoral commission chairman Mahinda Deshapriya, has ruled out a social media ban during the final stage of the election.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror he stated that such a drastic move was unnecessary.
Concerns over the spread of disinformation to disincentives voters from heading to the polls follows a broader debate in which people have expressed a need to tackle fake news shared on Facebook. This follows the spread of false rumours which has fuelled anti-Muslims attacks. Others have argued, that a ban on social media would allow for the government to blackout news and grant them too much power.
Read Daily Mirror here.
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