"Sri Lanka's decision to block all social media following deadly bombings on Easter Sunday is reigniting the debate over how to combat online disinformation. Hany Farid, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley and an adviser to the Counter Extremism Project, said social media bans are not always effective and raise concerns about free speech. Farid, though, added that he believes the 'abdication of responsibility on behalf of social media companies' forced the government of Sri Lanka's hand. 'I think given the repeated failures of social media companies to deal with the weaponization of disinformation, it's an understandable response,' Farid told The Hill on Tuesday in a phone interview. 'I think this was a proportional response to the horrific violence.' Farid said he thinks the issue highlights the growing lack of faith in tech platforms and increasing understanding of the government's response. 'I think now everyone is waking up to the fact that this is a really unhealthy ecosystem,” he said.'”