Facebook Ordered To Stop Helping Kids Skip Class In Argentina

from the logic-failure dept

When I was in high school, it was customary every year or so for there to be some sort of injustice that the students were upset about concerning the administration of the school. If it escalated enough, the kids would decide to stage some sort of protest -- which at least once involved skipping out on school for the day. Obviously, often enough, such efforts are really just a way for kids to have an excuse to skip out on classes for a day, but this sort of thing seemed pretty common even back when I was in high school. However, now, with things like Facebook... suddenly it's Facebook's fault that the same thing is happening?

Reader Osno alerts us to the news of a legal battle down in Argentina where a judge has ordered Facebook to block any group advocating student protests that involved skipping classes (that link is a Google translation of the original article).

Apparently, the back story, is that a large group of students in Mendoza, Argentina had organized a day to skip out on school via Facebook. The media in Argentina played up the story, and it resulted in other students around the country planning similar "skip school" days. Rather than recognize that this is what kids do, the whole thing has gone to court, with a judge claiming that this is somehow Facebook's fault, and it must start blocking any such groups. According to the translation:

"We did a little research on the basis of the allegations and found that the company was in breach of certain laws, as is of danger to health or integrity of its users...."

That seems like a pretty severe twisting of laws concerning requirements to protect the health of users. According to Osno, politicians are backing the judge, warning of what other groups Facebook might be used to create next -- such as the "great smokeout to smoke dope." Apparently, these folks are unaware that the same thing has happened for ages, using pretty much any communication method available -- whether it was email, telephone, paper or (*gasp*) talking in person. Blaming the communications medium isn't going to change any of that.

Filed Under: argentina, communications, skipping class, social networks, students
Companies: facebook