04.02.2011, 14:36 3582

Facebook cautious after its role in Egypt

Facebook is now being cautious after its role it played in protests against President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, the agency reports.

Almaty. February 4. Kazakhstan Today - Facebook is now being cautious after its role it played in protests against President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, the agency reports.

Facebook boasts 5 million users in Egypt, the most in the Arab world - where youthful outrage over the killing of a prominent activist spread, leading to the protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square and Mubarak's promise to step down this year, The Washington Post said.

But Facebook, which celebrates its seventh birthday Friday and has more than a half-billion users worldwide, is not eagerly embracing its role as the insurrectionists' instrument of choice. Its strategy contrasts with rivals Google and Twitter, which actively helped opposition leaders communicate after the Egyptian government shut down Internet access.

Protestors in Egypt have actively used the world's most popular social-networking site, Facebook, what government atrocities against protestors. Egyptian authorities banned the use of Internet and social-networking sites in order to isolate protestors.

After playing a role as the insurrectionists' tool of choice, Facebook now fears that other governments will grow more precautious of letting the firm to operate in their countries without limits or close monitoring.

The writer of "The Facebook Effect", David Kirkpatrick, said, "What's happened in Egypt or Tunisia is likely to change other countries' attitudes, and they'll be more wary of Facebook operating there."

Kirkpatrick added that Facebook was also mulling over plans to forbid activists from having a measure of anonymity on the social-networking platform.

Facebook declined to discuss its role in the Egypt protests but said no one should be deprived of access to the Internet.

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