Pakistan recently asked Facebook to change its method of identification on the social network. In this Asian country, like everywhere else in the world, you have to enter your email address and password to identify yourself and access the platform.
This system does not please the Pakistani authorities who have asked the company of Mark Zuckerberg to change method. They wanted users to log in by entering their phone number rather than the email address .
Pakistan has asked Facebook to use phone numbers rather than email addresses to identify Internet users. The social network refused in order not to favor the country’s harsh policies of reprisal.
According to the government, the purpose of this request was to identify and punish users of ” false accounts “, especially those who broadcast hate messages or blasphemies.
Facebook refuses
Christine Chen, a Facebook spokesman quoted by the BBC ,confirmed that the firm had received such a request from Pakistan. “Facebook met with the Pakistani authorities to express its deep commitment to protecting the rights of those using the service to enable people to express themselves freely and securely,” she said.
In other words, Facebook has refused to comply with the government’s request. ” It was an important and constructive meeting during which we expressed our concerns about recent court cases and we explained that we apply a strict legal process to every request for government requesting data or content restrictions” added spokesperson.
Delicate situation
It must be said that Pakistan is pursuing a very tough policy and did not hesitate a few days ago to condemn a man to death for a blasphemous comment posted on Facebook.
In such a situation, it is always very interesting to see how a social network responds to a country’s demand. Especially since this is Facebook with 2 billion users . If the company had responded favorably to Pakistan, it would have created a precedent and could have consequences for millions of people around the world.
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