Free space

Face book or face book

Faisal Muhammad Al-Shamri

February 27, 2021

We will not enter into a sterile linguistic discussion about the origin, meaning and translation of the name of one of the most important social networking sites in the world, nor will we recover the date and purpose of its creation, when the site started, it had one university students among them, and it was often indicative that it was evidence.

Literally translating the name would be "The Face Book."

Some have argued that it may be a noun derived from the phrase

The book of faces, meaning the "book of faces" or the directory that includes the students' faces, accompanied by their information and contact information.

And the meaning may be the faces for the sake of acquaintance, and this in terms of: Where did the name come from.

But where does the money come from? It is what drives the billion-wheel drive that made a university student become one of the world's richest people.

The number of active citizens of this virtual world exceeds 2.74 billion people every month, more than the population of China and India combined, and the increase in the number of users is estimated at 12% annually.

This digital platform, which was founded by a Harvard student in 2004, whether the website was intended to be a tool for commenting on girls ’pictures or it was a digital copy of a paper book from Harvard University colleges, which contains students’ photos and their contact information, has turned into a tool. It has become an independent economic, to the extent that it has become its supporters and the lobbying groups loyal to it. Rather, it has become part of the story of its making of heads of state or its influence in the electoral processes, the industry and the direction of the herd "and what is meant here are the voters ... Economic conflicts and wars, whenever this entity feels that there is an existential threat to its income and the acceleration of its rotation.

What has been blocked from the site and platform of a sovereign state, and wiped from the digital map, is a digital weapon of mass destruction, no less harmful than the use of “denial of service” attacks or sabotage operations carried out by saboteurs or sometimes states, in terrible digital conflicts that take place behind screens Computer, and the traditional user is not aware of its dimensions.

What the management of this company did, even if it was nothing more than a procedure framed by "usage regulations" that dealers are forced to agree to, is, in fact, an assault on state efforts to protect the intellectual property of publishers, and a sovereign right to take legal measures to stop any suspicious or ethical practices Or laws or practices that are customary in a sovereign state whose area geographically reaches to be considered an integrated continent.

This precedent, some might see, is an unconventional challenge to the sovereignty of states.

If another country dared it, it would be considered a declaration of war and blood would be spilled for it.

The digital drums of war are no longer far from the screens of the dealers, the war is evolving and its arenas are different. Do we need to reconsider our agreement to the automatic terms of use, or do the state legislation must accompany that, and restore the ownership of the transcontinental content?

We are looking for unconventional solutions that spread the awareness of users, redirect them to the platforms most respectful of laws and legislations, and draft legislation that keeps pace with emerging challenges, and what we see in terms of digital conflicts here or there, even we aspire to create social media platforms that leave them behind what offends us and avoid them and have been mentioned. Selective freedom of opinion is rejected and is not considered a healthy practice, rather it is unethical.

Together, let us aspire to have an Arabic-oriented face book and content, or do you think that is far-fetched?

A Digital Transformation Consultant, Lecturer, and Certified Organizational Excellence

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