Facebook row
We are open, transparent and non-partisan, says Facebook after row over content policy
New Delhi/IBNS: After being accused of its biased content policy and a row over hate speech, social media giant Facebook in a blog post on Friday stated that its platform is 'an open, transparent and non-partisan' one where 'people can express themselves freely.'
Vice President and Managing Director of Facebook India Ajit Mohan wrote: "Over the last few days, we have been accused of bias in the way we enforce our policies. We take allegations of bias incredibly seriously, and want to make it clear that we denounce hate and bigotry in any form."
"First and foremost, we want to make it clear that we denounce hate in any form. Our Community Standards, which outline what is and isn’t allowed on Facebook, have clear and very detailed policies against hate speech, which prohibit attacks on people on the basis of protected characteristics, including religion, ethnicity, caste and national origin."
Mohan said there is no place for hate speech on the platform.
"We have an impartial approach to dealing with content and are strongly governed by our Community Standards. We enforce these policies globally without regard to anyone’s political position, party affiliation or religious and cultural belief," his statement mentioned.
He said that Facebook has removed and 'will continue to remove' content posted by public figures in India when it violates our Community Standards.
"Individuals who are designated as “dangerous” under our policies are removed from our services altogether, and all praise, support and representation of them is taken down, as well," he added.
This comes after Facebook representatives have been summoned to meet the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology, headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, on Sept 2.
The controversy related to the company erupted US publication Wall Street Journal reported Facebook had ignored the hate-speech posts, favouring the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
According to the Wall Street Journal, Facebook's senior executive 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.
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