{UAH} Facebook breaks own rules to protect activist

Facebook breaks own rules to protect activist

Aaron Rogan

January 20 2017, 12:01am, The Times

Fred Muwema brought a case in Dublin to try to force Facebook to reveal the identity of a Ugandan political activist

Facebook has broken its protocol to protect the identity of a Ugandan activist who is being sued over an account used to publicise allegations of corruption in the country.

The company told the High Court that it would not reveal who posted under the pseudonym Tom Voltaire Okwalinga, or TVO, because there was evidence that doing so would pose a threat to the user's life.

TVO has 83,000 Facebook followers in Uganda. The page is updated regularly with information criticising the government and other public figures.

"This is a very unusual position for Facebook. The company ordinarily takes the view that people post at their own risk," Rossa Fanning, SC, representing Facebook, told the court yesterday.

"The company is spending significant money to defend this…

Want to read more?

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/past-six-days/2017-01-20/ireland/facebook-breaks-own-rules-to-protect-activist-lwm7flg85

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