The Sri Lankan government blocked access to social media platforms Sunday in the wake of explosions that killed more than 200 people on the holiest day of the Christian calendar.
By Jennifer Hassan, Niha Masih and Tony Romm| The Washington Post
LONDON — The Sri Lankan government blocked access to social media platforms Sunday in the wake of explosions that killed more than 200 people on the holiest day of the Christian calendar. The blasts, which targeted churches during Easter Sunday services and luxury hotels, also prompted the government to impose an immediate nationwide curfew.
Officials said they ordered the social media blackout in an attempt to stop the viral spread of misinformation about the attacks online, a digital scourge that typically follows international news events and one that major tech giants long have struggled to curtail. Already, researchers said they had seen a spike in false reports about the perpetrators and the number of victims.
But the government’s decision also raised fresh concerns — in the eyes of local residents, tech companies and international observers — that the temporary blockade on social media would make it harder for Sri Lankans to obtain accurate, timely information or communicate with loved ones overseas.
“If I don’t reply to your messages it is because WhatsApp and Facebook appears to have been shutdown in Sri Lanka,” Colombo resident Roshni Fernando wrote on Twitter. Talking to The Washington Post, Fernando said she grew up in London but recently moved to the Sri Lanka capital, one of the cities targeted in the attacks.
“People can now only communicate through SMS here, or Twitter I guess,” said Fernando, explaining that she was also unable to access YouTube and Instagram.
“I’m hearing reports that they’ve shut down Facebook and WhatsApp, so that makes sense as I have had friends in London trying to contact me through both and I can’t see them or message anybody on either Facebook or WhatsApp.
