Earlier quoted context omitted.
Agreed - why would social media be treated any differently than disconnecting phone lines or mobile phones during standoffs and negotiations?
Perhaps because it is against the law for local authorities to shut down telecommunications? https://www.publicknowledge.org/news-blog/blogs/why-shutting... "More than seventy years ago, Congress made a choice to take that option away from local authorities. It conferred jurisdiction on the FCC and the state Public Utility Commissions to provide oversight, and gave everyone a federally protected right to access the p…
The federally protected right to access the phone network is unaffected. There is no federal requirement that would require Facebook to only shut down an account after receiving a court order.