Helena Lins

Editor (South America)

 

SUCRE – Alvaro Garcia Linera claimed last week that he keeps track of who insults the Bolivian President Evo Morales online. He asserted, “I am always going online and I am noting down the first and last names of the people who insult him on Facebook and Twitter”.
Members of Evo Morales’ left-wing socialist party said to be concerned about the way social media is being used in relation to the government.

According to the Minister of Government Carlos Romero, social media is “regularly misused to attack the Government or misinform about its work”. Likewise, Franklin Garvizu, a Congressman from the party, stated, “We are very worried because this is a case of systematically using communications mechanisms to plant hatred against the government, to harm the image of our President”.
Following these concerns, lawmakers from Evo Morales’ party aim to push a proposed law regulating social media through the Congress.

Free speech advocates have considered such comments an attempt to restrict freedom of speech and government opposition members said that they are an evidence of the authoritarian aim to censor social media.

Samuel Doria Media, Head of the Opposition and National Unity Party leader, alleged, “Obviously on social networks one cannot expect everyone to be praised. The opposition also receives insults from public officials, criticisms with no meaning, attacks, and it would never occur to us to block social networks.” Moreover, he said that if Alvaro Garcia Linera gets an account and interacts with people, he would learn a lot more about young people.

Bolivian citizens have already raised critics to the government as well. Maica Guzman, for instance, claimed, “It goes against all the rights, human rights, above all. Where is freedom of expression?”