Great News : France Bans the Words “Twitter” and “Facebook” From Airwaves

Here's something you won't hear on French television news today: "For more information on the U.S. trial of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, follow us on Twitter."


French regulators have banned the words “Facebook” and “Twitter” from French TV and radio unless those words are used to refer to the companies themselves in news stories. 


The regulator, France’s Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel, says that it is "clandestine" advertising to use the names otherwise, violating a 1992 decree stipulating that commercial enterprises should not be promoted on news programs.


Christine Kelly, an advisor to France’s Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel reasons, “Why should we promote a network that is worth billions of dollars like Facebook and not for another one that is having a hard time getting known?”