The social networking site Twitter finds itself on the wrong side of a revolution today.

The site, cited as one of the driving forces in several Middle East revolutions last year, upset many of those same people today when it announced it’s launching technology that censors certain types of content in certain countries, in an effort to abide by local rules.

In a blog post, Twitter cited German and French laws, which prohibit pro-Nazi messages.

It’s an increasingly difficult line for Internet companies to follow. They want to be rebellious and new and exciting to attract an up-and-coming audience. At the same time, it’s found existing laws that apply to its service can really hamper the free exchange of information. 

The people complaining to Twitter need to turn their attention to their respective governments, not the fledgling company, though. If you feel your government has repressive rules, you shouldn’t blame a technology company attempting to abide by your country’s laws. You should work to change those laws or your government, as those protesters all accomplished in the Middle East recently.

Yes, repressive governments are going to try to stop you from communicating with other rebels. But you shouldn’t be lashing out at the communication tool for the laws they’re trying to follow. To turn the cliche on its head, don’t shoot the messenger or the messenger service.

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