Shashi Tharoor chairs the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology. (File)
Highlights
- Shashi Tharoor had a 3-plus hour meeting with a top executive of Facebook
- Facebook India chief faced questions over hiring process and transparency
- Shashi Tharoor said they unanimously agreed to resume discussion later
A conflict between Facebook's global standards and how it plays out in India became evident on Wednesday as executives of Facebook India appeared before a parliamentary committee. Accused of overlooking hate speech from BJP and right-wing leaders, the social media giant was questioned amid a huge political battle between the Congress and the BJP.
After the meeting, Shashi Tharoor, who chairs the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology, tweeted, "All I can say: we met for some three&a half hours & unanimously agreed to resume the discussion later".
Though days of political sparring preceded the meeting -- with BJP members including Nishikant Dubey accusing Shashi Tharoor of flouting rules, pushing Congress agenda and calling for his removal from his post -- Wednesday's session was cordial. Cutting across party lines, the MPs had detailed queries for Facebook India chief Ajit Mohan and his two associates who appeared before the panel.
The key point that came across was a conflict between Facebook's global standards and how it applies and subjects itself to Indian laws, sources said.
Following questions by the BJP MPs, it transpired that there was no transparency in the hiring system of Facebook India, sources said. Most employees, it appeared, have political affiliations. The hiring process is apparently geared towards quid pro quo involving advertisements. The fact checkers on Facebook are outsourced and do not follow a strict and neutral protocol, sources said.
The opposition members wanted details about a possible link between staying in the good books of the government of the day and benefits from government policies, especially monetising social media platforms. The social media giant was also questioned about allegations of commercial ties with certain departments in the Union government, sources said.
The MPs of the committee said they were aghast when Facebook asserted that it has no policy to take down content suo motu, even if it is objectionable, in the absence of any complaint.
Some members discussed current and active cases -- like the role of Facebook in removing content on protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and refusal to allow live streaming of the protests.
The role of Facebook during the Delhi riots, how it dealt with Arjun Singh from West Bengal and some other cases were also discussed, sources said.
One of the first questions the top executive had to face was about his alleged political affiliation to the Congress. Ajit Mohan said he was never a member of any political party and worked with a consultancy firm which supported and gave ideas on urban development.
Facebook has been asked to give its answers in writing and is likely to be summoned again for further clarity.
Criticism has been heaped on Facebook since US publication Wall Street Journal reported last month that it overlooked hate speech posted by leaders of the BJP and right wing groups. A second report from WSJ said Facebook India policy executive Ankhi Das "made internal postings over several years" detailing her support for the ruling BJP and disparaging the Congress.
On Tuesday, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad accused Facebook employees of "on record abusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior cabinet ministers" in a letter to its chief Mark Zuckerberg.