Hate speech
Delhi Assembly panel to summon Facebook official over hate speech issue
New Delhi/IBNS: A panel of Delhi Assembly on Monday said it would issue summon to Facebook officials, especially senior executive Ankhi Das, over the company's alleged stance regarding hate speeches posted by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders.
This comes after a controversy broke over the social media giant's policy of allegedly ignoring hate speech posts by BJP leaders.
The allegation was made by US publication Wall Street Journal which stated that Facebook deliberately ignored such posts.
Following the controversy, the Congress has demanded an inquiry by a Joint Parliamentary Committee.
On Monday, the Delhi assembly in a statement said its committee on "Peace and Harmony" will examine the issue.
"Summons are set to be sent for appearance of the concerned officials of Facebook and more importantly, Ms. Ankhi Das, in due course to ensure their presence before the committee for participating in the relevant proceedings and the committee shall convene its meeting this week to initiate the proceedings forthwith," the statement read.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Ankhi Das took the call of "deliberately ignoring" hate speech by BJP leaders.
The Journal reported that she had said that punishing violations by BJP workers "would damage the company's business prospects in the country."
The Journal's article alleged that Facebook has a "broader pattern of favouritism" towards the BJP.
The Indian executives, the article added, had even allowed objectionable content flagged by company chief Mark Zuckerberg, to remain on the site.
Das also filed a complaint with the police on Monday, alleging that she has received death threats.
Naming five persons in the FIR, she said: "Since the evening of 14 August 2020, I have been receiving violent threats to my life and body, and I am extremely disturbed by the relentless harassment meted out to me by the accused persons. 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".
Facebook on Monday stated that it prohibits "hate speech and content that incites violence and we enforce these policies globally without regard to anyone's political position or party affiliation."
The company said it is "making progress on enforcement and conduct regular audits of our process to ensure fairness and accuracy."
(Image Credit: Pixabay)
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