Delhi assembly panel to probe Facebook ‘inaction’ on hate speech, bias charges

On August 14, the Wall Street Journal reported that some Facebook executives purportedly bent rules to shield individuals from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who made posts qualifying as hate speech. The company denied the allegations.

The Delhi assembly’s Committee on Peace and Harmony will seek an investigation into Facebook to determine whether the way the social media company polices content is biased, if it threatens India’s democratic processes, and if its alleged inaction on purported hate speech contributed to the communal violence in the Capital earlier this year, its members said on Tuesday.

The leader of opposition in Delhi assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri denied there was collusion between the BJP and Facebook.(REUTERS)

The decision was taken following a meeting in which multiple experts and journalists who have looked at the issue offered their assessment. The matter is being examined after the panel, according to its members, received multiple complaints accusing the US-based company of acting in a partisan manner and not doing enough to remove hateful content.

On August 14, the Wall Street Journal reported that some Facebook executives purportedly bent rules to shield individuals from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who made posts qualifying as hate speech. The company denied the allegations.

“After the detailed examination of the witnesses, the committee has been posed with extremely useful and significant insights on the issue at hand which must be delved into meticulously… The witnesses also affirmed that a free and fair investigation must be conducted by independent investigating agencies to painstakingly investigate the alleged inaction of the Facebook in curbing the hateful content and palpably inflammatory content, with a view to ascertain if there was any complicity of Facebook officials in the alleged deliberate inaction,” said a statement by the committee chaired by Aam Aadmi Party MLA Raghav Chadha.

According to one of the members of the committee, the panel could seek a probe into three specific aspects: if Facebook content had a role in the Delhi riots and whether it acted in time to remove these; if there was any collusion between Facebook India officials and members of the BJP; and if Facebook poses a threat to free and fair elections in the country.

The leader of opposition in Delhi assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri denied there was collusion between the BJP and Facebook. “Facebook has never supported the BJP. The Aam Aadmi Party leaders have no business here. They have a majority in the assembly. They are taking advantage of it through the peace committee and they are making a political issue out of nothing just to hide their own failures in governance and Covid-19 management,” he said.

“As far as hate speeches are concerned, no BJP leader has indulged in hate speech. When it comes to the Delhi riots, the Delhi Police is investigating the matter. Interestingly, a leader of the AAP (Tahir Hussain) is among the accused. The party should rather cooperate in the ongoing probe instead of indulging in gimmicks,” said Bidhuri, the BJP MLA from Badarpur.

The WSJ report stated that Facebook officials, especially its top public policy executive in India, Ankhi Das, allegedly cited business imperatives while choosing not to apply hate speech rules to at least four individuals and groups linked with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India, despite them being internally flagged for promoting or participating in violence.

The two expert witnesses present in Tuesday’s meeting of the committee were Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, a journalist who has co-authored a book titled ‘The Real Face of Facebook in India’ and Nikhil Pahwa, a journalist with Medianama.

“Eventually, the committee will submit the report of the legislative enquiry to Speaker Ram Niwas Goel. The speaker can forward the report to the police for a case to be filed or send it to the Election Commission,” Chadha added.

The statement issued earlier reiterated the assembly will summon Facebook officials. “Hence, the committee will soon issue notices to top officials of Facebook with a view to examine them on record. The committee aims at redressing the issue at the earliest, therefore, the proceedings shall be expedited in order to put this issue to its logical conclusion.”

The company did not respond to emails from HT seeking a comment on the committee’s position. Facebook India head Ajit Mohan on Friday issued a statement saying the company is an “open, transparent and non-partisan platform”.

The BJP has rejected the allegations and said that social media companies such as Facebook crack down harder on right wing content. The party’s IT cell head said the company removed 700 pages last year and has not reinstated them since.