We enforce policies regardless of any political affiliation, says Facebook

Amidst the row over a newspaper report that Facebook refused to block hate speech fearing business loss in India, the US-based social media giant on Monday clarified that the company prohibits hate speech and content that incites violence regardless of anyone’s political position/party affiliation.

"We prohibit hate speech & content that incites violence & we enforce these policies globally without regard to anyone’s political position/party affiliation. We're making progress on enforcement & conduct regular audits of our process to ensure fairness & accuracy", the Facebook spokesperson said.

Also Read | Rahul attacks BJP over 'hate speech' report, Ravi Shankar Prasad calls him 'loser'

In another development Ankhi Das ( Facebook''s Director, Public Policy, India, South and Central Asia) has filed a complaint with Cyber Cell unit of Delhi Police, alleging that she has been receiving "violent threats to her life."

Das filed the complaint on Sunday and alleged that several people were issuing "threats, making sexually coloured remarks and defaming her" through online posts. The police have registered FIR and the Cyber Cell Unit will probe it.

According to the complaint, the threats are in relation to an article dated August 14, 2020 published in the Wall Street Journal.

"The content, which even includes my photograph is evidently threatening to my life and body and I fear for my safety as well as that of my family members. The content also maligns my reputation based on a news article and I am subjected to name-calling, cyberbullying and eve-teasing online," she said.

Das alleged that she was intentionally vilified by the accused due to their "political affiliations" and are now engaging in online and offline abuse, subjecting her to "criminal intimidation and making sexually coloured remarks".

Earlier Wall Street Journal newspaper report stated that Facebook’s top public policy executive in India “opposed applying hate-speech rules” to individuals and organisations linked with the ruling BJP.

The article alleged that a top Facebook India official had told staffers to not punish violations by BJP members as it “would damage the company’s business prospects in the country."

The reported kicked up row after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, shared newspaper clipping in his twitter account and made an allegation that Facebook and WhatsApp were controlled by the ruling party and their fringe group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in India.

"BJP and RSS control Facebook and WhatsApp in India. They spread fake news and hatred through it and use it to influence the electorate. Finally, the American media has come out with the truth about Facebook.” Rahul tweeted.

Countering Congress leader's allegations, Union Minister for IT and Telecom Ravi Shankar Prasad tweeted: “You were caught red-handed in alliance with Cambridge Analytica & Facebook to weaponise data before the elections & now have the gall to question us?”

Separately, Parliamentary Standing Committee on IT headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said the panel would like to hear from Facebook about the news reports.