While we all are well aware of the social media revolution here in the states, have you ever stopped and thought about how/if other parts of the world are keeping up? Or if other countries censor online activity? Maybe you have thought about those questions, but have you thought about the possibility that our country is censoring online activity?
Wadja.com is a Greek social networking site similar to Facebook or Myspace. The site allows you upload and share photos and links, send messages and keep in contact with people. Possibly the most intriguing aspect of Wadja however, is the fact that Facebook has banned the use of the term or any type of reference to the site.
That's right. Facebook will literally not allow you to post or send any message containing the term wadja.com. Don't believe me? Try it right now and as soon as you hit "send" a message will pop up stating, "Warning: This message contains blocked content."
The question becomes, why would Facebook ban wadja.com? According to an article written by Marshall Kirkpatrick, Facebook banned mention of the site for spam control. Jemima Kiss posted an interview with wadja.com Managing Director, Alex Christoforou where he had this to say about the situation:
"Just last week Facebook banned the word Wadja.com throughout the whole site. That was weird and quite amusing. Here is this big Silicon Valley social network banning the word Wadja, an outfit based in the Mediterranean, having fun connecting people."
As for why Wadja feels they were banned,unfriendly competition perhaps? They retain that their site in fact has minimal issues with spam, no more than any other social networking site. What does arise from this conflict is the issue of online censorship. Is Facebook crossing a line or simply protecting their online users? Despite of the setback, wadja.com continues to grow and remains a popular way for people to stay connected. After all, thats what social networking is all about.
