Legal Commentary

What started as a social- networking system for Harvard University students is becoming a political force to be reckoned with.

Founded in 2004 by Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg as a social-networking site, Facebook has quickly become an international phenomenon.

Lately, activists and politicians have tapped into this popularity.

During the recent U.S. election, many people turned to Facebook to keep up to date on presidential candidates and voice their political beliefs.

Most impressively, Barack Obama used Facebook as a tool to build support and raise huge amounts of funding for his camp-aign. A pioneer in Internet camp-aigning, Obama’s fundraising efforts were unmatched by rival candidates.

Hillary Clinton’s traditional political campaign attempted to attract the attention of large donors, but by campaigning through Facebook, Obama was able to attract small donations from a large number of people.

Following the success of Obama’s approach to campaigning, it is likely that his approach will be used as a model by future politicians.

Social-networking sites also have been used to attempt to increase the interest of young voters in politics.

During the U.S. presidential race, Facebook teamed with Rock the Vote, a non-partisan political group for young people. In a bid to encourage young voter participation, citizens were able to register to vote online via Facebook and invite friends to join in the movement.

Facebook activism has increased in popularity in Canada, where Facebook groups have popped up protesting everything from text-messaging fees to data rates. In 2008, a Facebook group protesting federal government plans for copyright reform grew to more than 90,000 members.

Recently, the Ontario government put a stop to a proposed restriction on the number of passengers whom mainly teen drivers would be permitted to have in their cars after a Facebook protest grew to nearly 150,000 members in a little more than two weeks.

The legislation was intended to reduce the number of accidents involving teenage drivers by limiting people with a G2 licence to carrying only one passenger in the car. In what can be described as a win for democracy, the measure was withdrawn in the wake of the huge protest on Facebook.

So perhaps the province acted too hastily in 2007 when it banned Facebook use by its employees on the grounds that it led to reduced productivity. Given the site’s growing use for political purposes, Queen’s Park may wish to rethink its position.

As online activism gains popularity, government agencies may have no choice but to join the Internet frenzy.

Despite critics’ arguments that Facebook groups do not provide a strong indication of the general public’s views, it’s clear that they must be taken seriously.

With a generation of young voters who have grown up in an Internet society entering the political world, online activism is likely to become a huge political force in the future.