Hate speech policies enforced without political bias: Facebook

INDIA POLICY HEAD ANKHI DAS FILES POLICE COMPLAINT AS PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE & ASSEMBLY PREPARE TO INVESTIGATE MATTER

NEW DELHI: Facebook on Monday said it enforces its policies on hate speech “without regard to anyone’s political position or party affiliation” amid the controversy that erupted after a US media report alleging that the social media giant ignored hate speech posted on its platform by leaders of the ruling BJP.

“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.

However, the social media giant’s troubles with legislative departments across the globe seem to have no end in sight as the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology has now said the social media company and its officials in India will be scrutinised with respect to allegations of bias towards members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party spreading hate messages on their platforms.