Should Government Monitor Social Networking Sites?

DR ADRIAN BUDIMAN: "The misuse of social networking sites or new media in general is a negative side-effect of progress. We have to see the bigger picture. Social networking sites enable the masses to communicate and have access to information like never before, which can stimulate productivity, creativity and eventually growth for society.

"Monitoring and regulating new media is not the answer. People who intend to use new media irresponsibly will find a way to achieve their goals through other means. It's the normal users who will suffer from the effects of excessive state intervention.
"Social networking sites contain both good and bad information and it's ultimately up to the user to decide which one to believe and form an opinion. Racial and religious insensitivity communicated through social networking sites usually portrays a minority opinion and may not be necessarily true. A good understanding of how new media works and a strong moral education will produce better results than trying to monitor and control technological progress."

DAVID LIAN: "Monitoring is good because it will give the government a clearer picture of the discussions going on online and provide a feedback mechanism for it to better serve the people.

"Many companies already monitor conversations about their brands online and are putting into place programmes to better communicate with these audiences. I think the bigger challenge is how the government can use social networks to add value to the conversation and actively engage people on social networks."

This sources is taken from News Straight Times..