PNG Communication Minister wants protection for Facebook users

Papua New Guinea Communications and Information Technology Minister Sam Basil has directed his line agencies to find out how to “protect the privacy of Facebook users” in Papua New Guinea.
Basil, pictured, issued the directives to the Department of Information and Communications and the National Information Communications Technology Authority on Monday
It comes in the wake of a United States Senate and class action court hearings to ascertain whether Facebook Inc failed to protect the privacy of its users in the United States and United Kingdom.
Personal data, chats, pictures, and contact details of Papua New Guinea Facebook users are on the same Facebook Inc database.
Basil said he had been monitoring the US Senate hearing on Facebook and the class action court case against Facebook and Cambridge Analytica in the light of the security of millions of PNG Facebook users.
“Facebook, as a social network, came into to Papua New Guinea riding on the infrastructure of telecommunications and IT service providers,” Basil said.
“The Government, swept along by IT globalisation, never really had the chance to ascertain the advantages or disadvantages – and even educate and provide guidance on use of social networks like Facebook to PNG users.
“The two cases involving Facebook – shows us the vulnerabilities that PNG citizens and residents face on their personal data and exchanges when using this social network as well as other social network.”
Basil said he needed to take an informed and appropriate action on behalf of PNG citizens and residents using Facebook and other IT social networks.
“I am aware that Facebook use in PNG is not limited to personal chats and blogs,” he said. “It is also used as a forum for advertising by individuals, organisations both public and private, to post and download public notices, position vacancies and job searches, real estates and other commercial activities.” .....read more on PNG Technology News site : PNG eHow