Facebook said Tuesday that it would monitor content on its website dealing with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy following the recent attack that left him hospitalized.
“Promoting violence, or posting threatening content, is not permitted on Facebook. We will take quick action to respond to reports, and remove any content reported to us that makes direct threats against an individual,” the social-networking site said.
The largest fan page for Massimo Tartaglia which had amassed almost 100,000 users in less than 48 hours had been shut down by Facebook. Other fan pages with fewer members are said to have remained open.
Roberto Maroni, the interior Minister, accused social networking sites of instigating violence and “disseminating hatred”, and pleadged to close them down.
Facebook already has its run-in with regulators and lawmakers in Italy even before the attack on Mr. Berlusconi. The company had earlier blocked access to several groups with names like “Let’s Kill Berlusconi,” after government officials complained that it was unacceptable to threaten violence against the prime minister. Last winter, Facebook hold off proposed legistation that would allow the Italian authorities to shut down the site if the company did not block content deemed objectionable, like fan groups of imprisoned Mafia bosses.
Meanwhile, Mr. Tartaglia, is said to be held in the psychological ward of Milan jail and has written Mr. Berlusconi a letter of apology.
[Source: NY Times]
Hundreds of thousands of Italian Facebook users woke up yesterday to discover that they had become friends of Silvio Berlusconi.
La Repubblica newspaper said that members of existing Facebook groups supporting the victims of April’s earthquake in Abruzzo or promoting Italian products had been signed up for new sites such as “We support Berlusconi” and “Thank you Silvio.”
The fake groups “We support Berlusconi against Massimo Tartaglia”, with 380,000 members and “Solidarity for Silvio Berlusconi” with almost two million, had been removed. On the other hand, though the “Fans of Massimo Tartaglia” group with 60,000 members had been cancelled, the sites praising the attaker appeared to be genuine, with comment ranging from “Long live Tartaglia” to “Massimo, marry me, I beg you”.
Roberto Maroni, the interior Minister, accused social networking sites of instigating violence and “disseminating hatred”, and pleadged to close them down.
Facebook said that it will monitor its website dealing with the Italian Prime Minister Silviio Berlusconi.
[Source: Times Online]
Italy might shut down Facebook in regard to the recent attack on the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
Italy’s government will discuss measures to block websites that incite violence, after more than 300 groups on Facebook praised the man who attacked the Italian Prime Minister.
“We will discuss measure to shut down all Web pages that violate the law at the next Cabinet meeting on Dec. 17,” said interior Minister Roberto Maroni.
Mr. Berlusconi is being treated for a fractured nose, two damaged teeth and cut to his lips.
Police have detained Massimo Tartaglia, 42, in connection with the assault. He has been undergoing psychiatric treatment for 10 years.
Facebook fan page of Massimo Tartaglia was created and has so far attracted more than 72,000 members.
Another group “Let’s Kill Berlusconi” attracted almost 17,000 members on the world’s most popular social-networking site in October.
This is the second time Mr Berlusconi has been attacked in public. In 2004 he was hit over the head with a camera tripod while strolling in Rome.
[Source: Bloomberg News]
