Facebook Hate Speech Row: Facebook last month had said its social media platform prohibits hate speech.
A top Facebook executive has been summoned by a Delhi assembly panel headed by the Aam Aadmi Party MLA Raghav Chadha over complaints alleging "deliberate inaction on the part of social media platform to apply hate speech rules". Ajit Mohan, Facebook India's vice president and managing director, has been asked to appear before the panel next week on Tuesday (September 15) over alleged "complicity of Facebook in the orchestration and aggravation of Delhi riots".
"Having regards to the compelling evidences brought forth by the witnesses, the committee is of the belief that Facebook should be impleaded as co-accused in the Delhi Riots investigation," an official statement read, adding that the proceedings, which will begin at 12 PM, shall be live-streamed.
Summons were issued "on the basis of scathing depositions of the key witnesses as well as incriminating material submitted by them on record," it said. The panel said it has examined numerous witnesses, including journalists Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and Kunal Purohit; Nikhil Pahwa, an author, and activist Awesh Tiwari.
All the witnesses "so far have strongly agreed that an independent probe must be carried out against the alleged role and complicity of Facebook in the orchestration and aggravation of Delhi Riots," the panel said.
Earlier this month, Facebook India boss Ajit Mohan was questioned for more than three hours over hate speech allegations by Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology chaired by Congress's Shashi Tharoor, which considers issues like social media abuse.
The Delhi assembly peace panel, in its summon, yet again referred to an article published by the foreign publication- The Wall Street Journal - last month. The article, which claimed the social media giant ignored hate speech and objectionable content from leaders and workers of the ruling BJP, had triggered a political controversy prompting the Congress to attack BJP.
"A few complainants have also drawn considerable strength from the news report published by The Wall Street Journal on 14.08.2020, titled as Facebook Hate Speech Rules Collide With Indian Politics. The committee had promptly taken cognizance of serious allegations set out in the vetted complaints and have begun the proceedings in this regard, pursuant to which numerous witnesses have been examined," the Delhi assembly panel said.
The panel on peace and harmony was set up just after the city saw its worst riots in decades over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA in February this year. The committee last month had raised questions about the content posted on Facebook around the time when violence broke out in the national capital.
Last month, amid row over alleged hate speech content, Facebook had said its social media platform prohibits hate speech and content that incites violence and these policies are enforced globally without regard to political affiliation.
"We prohibit hate speech and content that incites violence and we enforce these policies globally without regard to anyone's political position or party affiliation. While we know there is more to do, we're making progress on enforcement and conduct regular audits of our process to ensure fairness and accuracy," a Facebook spokesperson said.