Papua New Guinea will ban Facebook for a month to study its impact on the general populace and root out "fake users," a government minister says.
The government plans to conduct research into how the social media platform is being used in the country during the ban, Sam Basil, minister for communications, told the local Post Courier newspaper.
The shutdown would allow the government analysts to study the use of Facebook, including people behind fake accounts, pornographic uploads and posts with false and misleading news and information, he said.
"This will allow genuine people with real identities to use the social network responsibly," Basil said.
"We cannot allow the abuse of Facebook to continue in the country."
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Facebook has come under serious scrutiny by many governments after it was revealed the platform had leaked personal data of tens of millions of users to a British company, Cambridge Analytica.
Basil said the department's research would weigh the impact on the general population with or without the Facebook.
"We can also look at the possibility of creating a new social network site for PNG citizens to use with genuine profiles as well," he said.
The exact date for the ban has not been announced.
