So it seems Facebook has relented from eliminating the account of Kashmiri photojournalist Aasif Shafi & has restored his account. In a time when journalists around the world are being repressed, disappeared, murdered, Facebook discredits itself by getting involved in censoring them. Twitter & Facebook are on a binge of censorship, especially of Palestinian, Kashmiri, Rohingya activists. When they bounced Alex Jones & some Burmese generals (including chief genocidaire General Min Aung Hlaing, but leaving Suu Kyi’s several walls intact), it was to legitimize the censorship of political activists & silence their voices. Some may think bouncing the generals was a good thing but in fact Hlaing’s account was a valuable place to follow his travels to drum up investments, see who was meeting with him & what he was saying. It’s imperative to understand what the oppressors are up to.

Freedom of speech is a democratic right which we have nothing to fear from & everything to gain from. If we are wise, we never advocate that it be abridged even for the extreme rightwing because they have many media venues to express their views & our options are few. That is why it matters that we maintain freedom of speech on social media.