US Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has accused major technology companies of profiting from online hatred targeting Indian, Hindu and other South Asian communities, calling on Congress to hold social media platforms accountable for failing to curb hateful content.
“Anti-Indian hate is exploding on social media, and Big Tech is profiting from it. These companies have no incentive to stop the hatred they help spread. Congress must hold them accountable,” Krishnamoorthi said in a post on X.
In a video accompanying the post, the Illinois Democrat alleged that social media platforms were not doing enough to police their services and cited a rise of more than 240% in posts promoting anti-South Asian hate on X.
“The number of X posts, posts on X or tweets, basically touting anti-South Asian hate has increased by more than 240% over a very short period of time,” he said.
Krishnamoorthi argued that technology companies lacked sufficient financial incentives to remove hateful content and called for federal action to ensure they faced consequences for failing to address the problem.
{{/usCountry}}Krishnamoorthi argued that technology companies lacked sufficient financial incentives to remove hateful content and called for federal action to ensure they faced consequences for failing to address the problem.
{{/usCountry}}The congressman did not identify the specific dataset behind the 240% figure in the supplied statement.
Anti-South Asian hate raises concerns over social media
The remarks highlight concerns about online discrimination targeting Indian Americans and other South Asian communities in the United States. Such content can include racial slurs, hostility towards cultural and religious identities, and claims portraying South Asians as threats to American jobs and demographics.
Krishnamoorthi's criticism centers on the role of major technology companies in moderating content on their platforms and whether existing measures are sufficient to address the spread of hate.
His call for congressional intervention also raises questions about how the federal government could hold technology companies accountable. However, he did not outline a specific legislative proposal or identify particular penalties in his post.
Congressman calls for federal action against Big Tech
In his video, Krishnamoorthi said the issue required action at the federal level, arguing that social media companies should face consequences if they failed to act against hateful content.
“We have to, at this point, at the federal level, make sure that they face the full consequences of not taking action,” he said.
The remarks come amid wider debate in the United States over online hate speech, platform moderation and the responsibilities of technology companies for content shared by users.
Krishnamoorthi's central demand was that technology companies be held accountable for their handling of anti-Indian and anti-South Asian hate online.