CNE Will Not Regulate Social Networks During the Campaign

Domingo Paredes

Domingo Paredes, the president of the National Electoral Council (CNE for its Spanish acronym) confirmed that the entity will not regulate the contents that the citizens write on social networks like Facebook and Twitter.

“The regulation of Twitter and Facebook is impossible. The electoral authority cannot introduce itself to social networks, not by law or political will,” said Paredes. The declarations of the CNE president occurred two days after the electoral entity made the headline, “there is no way, unfortunately still, to regulate social networks in the electoral period; that must be regulated and that is what we are going to do, to regulate attitudes, postures of people so they do not violate human rights, honour and dignity.” The initial purpose of Paredes occurred after the Constitutional Court stated that that the media must abstain of publishing or advertising electoral opinions or preferences that could influence over the voters positions.

After this comment many citizens expressed their contempt, because they consider that the CNE cannot control social networks since they do not have the legal authority in a clear attempt against the free speech. The director of Fundamedios, Cesar Ricaurte stated that it’s a positive thing that the mistake of controlling social networks be controlled, because the citizens opinion, “must flow in a freely.”AV