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Seeing people in international media suggesting the Sri Lankan government was justified in blocking Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube & other platforms over misinformation fears. This is super problematic. And I say this as someone who's written a lot about misinfo on FB. Here's why.
News media is controlled in SL and journalists under lots of pressure, so people seeking legitimate information also rely on social media. VPNs are also widely used, so hate groups can get on these platforms anyway. Blocking a site is not the same as moderating content.
And as @yudhanjaya says in this thread, violence, tensions between ethnic groups and propaganda far predate social media, and misinfo is often spread by traditional media and officials themselves. Blocking social media is not a solution to misinformation.
Perhaps most importantly, as everywhere, people in Sri Lanka rely on social media to communicate with friends and family. Imagine attacks like this happening in your city— and imagine not being able to find out if people you know are OK because Facebook is suddenly blocked.
Many of us take internet access for granted, but shutdowns like this have become normalized all over the world from India to Zimbabwe. Govts are using misinformation as a rationale to cut people off from communicating in times of crisis. This shouldn't be taken at face value.
None of this is to absolve Facebook. It's well documented that hate groups in SL have used FB to incite violence and spread misinfo targeting minority groups. FB has promised to do better. But we should all avoid putting too much blame on FB for a situation with complex causes.
That's it, but for a brief crash course on Sri Lanka see this thread: And follow the many good journalists in Colombo.
Would Americans cheering internet censorship abroad cheer if our president unilaterally made this decision? I reported on China's Great Firewall for years. It does not curb misinformation. You know what can curb misinformation? A responsible approach to content moderation. 
I expanded on these thoughts with more political context & commentary from smart people in Sri Lanka. buzzfeed.com/meghara/bannin…
For more information, I recommend this primer on disinformation in Sri Lanka in @groundviews groundviews.org/2017/07/04/dis… as well as this shorter, even-handed write-up by @Jon_Allsop cjr.org/the_media_toda…
