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Discuss in 300 words whether the government should regulate Facebook more closely

The rapid development and adoption of technology have made mobed most of the individual activities online, from work, leisure to social interactions. Social media platforms like Facebook have gained huge acceptance to become the most popular platform. Facebook has become a center for free speech where individuals are free to express their opinions on matters of interest. Individuals, organizations, and governments are all concentrated in one place, Facebook. However, several accusations relating to privacy, fake news, radicalization, among others, have brought various agencies in the undergrowth of whether activities in this mass communication platform should be closely regulated (Tan, 2018).

Facebook has led to a set of problems that are significantly affecting the society in many ways. There have been no boundaries to what someone can post, leading to inappropriate posts and images that are hell-bent on ruining the moral fabric of the society. Many children and teeners have been bullied on Facebook, leading to rising mental health cases and suicides. It has also been established that the company disregards safeguarding the right thing for a chase for-profit adventure. A good example is the 2016 Cambridge Analytica scandal that exploited millions of people's confidential information to influence the democratic governance process. Fake news is on the rise, yet the company mostly waits for people to see the contents and complain to have it remove that content. Thieves and criminals have turned to Facebook to execute their activities. They are using fake identities and publications to exploit innocent citizens, yet the company is doing very little if any attempt to stop this (Curwen, 2018).

Though I greatly support the need to protect free speech, a rigid boundary needs to be defined to counteract this weapon that is destroying society. Our youths are being radicalized to join terrorist groups, terrorism and robbery are being planned on Facebook, politicians are inciting the public to violence or using it to influence election outcomes, and the list can move on and on. Like what the company proprietor, Mark Zuckerburg, suggested, there is a need for government to bring order and sobriety that is a thing of the past for Facebook  (Delamare, 2018). We can no longer ignore this wound lest; the pain will hurt and kills us!

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