"All evil... and the evil of it is that it is inevitable," a coinage from the author of "Al-Abqariyat," Mahmoud Abbas Al-Aqqad, in his famous book "The Genius of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib." This applies to social media platforms: all evil, and the evil of them is that they are indispensable. They have become like the opium of the people, consumed with enjoyment and passion, and have become necessities of life.

All evil, a theater for psychological warfare, character assassinations, and societal strife. Except for those whom God has mercy, anyone exposed to character assassination on these evil platforms does not escape from its yellow teeth - neither a minister nor a guard, nor a businessman, nor a woodcutter in the mountains. And whoever's bad luck leads them to fall into its clutches, oh calamity strike!

Countries and groups invest in these platforms, spending on them as if they do not fear poverty: electronic brigades in enchanted basements, wolves and hyenas unleashed on the peaceful, experts in distorting facts, mixing up the cards, tarnishing symbols, and defaming reputations. This diverts societies' compass from their true direction. The worst part is the blind obedience of general users behind the trends that these evil platforms set.

Established countries invest in these platforms, known as diplomatic and strategic investment to enhance their presence, shape their image, and assert their orientations. Other countries are harmed and incur heavy losses from the targeting of these barren platforms. Terrorist groups and criminal cartels ride these platforms, position themselves in the joints of cyberspace, and launch their electronic drones bombing exposed heads, gnawing at the foundations of societal peace, according to plans targeting the sedition of peoples, sabotaging economies, aborting national projects, in addition to personal targeting, known as character assassinations.

Yes, all evil. Relying on the evil platforms themselves to curb their evils is like entrusting the cat with the key to the pantry; it will mess around as it pleases and as whim dictates. An example: the social media giant Facebook chose the Yemeni Islamist 'Tawakkol Karman' as a member of the Content Oversight Board (2020). Facebook is like someone who handed the keys of the pantry to the Muslim Brotherhood, and at the top of these platforms they lie in wait for the Egyptian state and its symbols.

And relying on the general laws that were put in place before the great digital explosion no longer confront these platforms, nor are they able to curb their evils. Large countries have decided to curb the evils of these platforms: Canada, Japan, and Argentina have resorted to applying privacy, defamation, and consumer protection laws against the evils of social media. South Africa introduced a cybercrime law to deal with violations, and Russia applies a strict regulatory framework imposed by multiple laws aimed at controlling data flow and content it deems threatening to national security and societal stability.

Italy and other European Union countries adopt unified and advanced regulatory frameworks based on a mix of national laws and EU regulations (such as the Digital Services Act), which oblige platforms to greater transparency and combating illegal content.

All evil, what are we doing in the face of the evils of social media?

Is the Egyptian state standing idly by in the face of the bombardment of electronic drones? The bombardment has become focused and intense, targeting everything Egyptian. Terrorist groups (especially the Muslim Brotherhood) use electronic platforms to wage electronic psychological warfare, igniting strife and fires.

Putting out electronic fires with traditional methods does not provide protection. The electronic war of attrition drains the vital fuel of the Egyptian state. The solution is an impregnable legal dome and establishing an information defense system against hypersonic breaches. Information with transparency and in a timely manner is the solution.

Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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