Looking like hypocrites

Officials with Bay Area Rapid Transit have put a dent in attempts to spread freedom throughout the world.

That may sound like a bold statement. BART does not control much beyond its own rail system, and the situation it faced earlier this week may not have been remotely similar to Tahrir Square in Egypt or uprisings in Syria and elsewhere, but when officials decided to curb protests this week by shutting off cell phone service on subway platforms, parts of the world were quick to yell, “Hypocrite.”

This story on Huffington Post notes how an Egyptian blogger drew parallels with what he experienced in Egypt, and how he defines the move as “a slippery slope.”

The British, as well, have not helped the cause of world freedom through calls to curb social media. Xinhua , the Chinese state media, ran an editorial that said, “We may wonder why Western leaders, on the one hand, tend to indiscriminately accuse other nations of monitoring, but on the other take for granted their steps to monitor and control the Internet.” (Read the editorial here.)

Good point.

BART officials and the British are understandably concerned about public safety, just as they recognized that protests were organized quickly through cell phones and social media. But they chose the wrong way to deal with the problem.

Free speech cuts both ways, regardless of how it is disseminated. BART officials may have thought they were protecting public safety, but they were cutting off phone service to people who might legitimately need help or who had other reasons for making calls. Savvy law-enforcement officials can use social media to learn about protests or other large events just like everyone else.

A larger legal issue may enter into this discussion. Many private companies provide free Internet service to customers inside the business, hotels, restaurant, etc. Do they have the right to shut this off indiscriminately? That may seem like a separate issue, but this Wall Street Journal blog draws a connection.

Legal issues aside, it’s shameful that Western democracies have been so quick to want to control free speech when troubles arise. It gives freedom a bad name everywhere.