Centre's rules around content moderation a 'legitimate scrutiny', says Facebook India MD

Social media giant Facebook, which has recently been under fire for "being a platform for spread of misinformation", has said that the Central government's rules for moderating content is a "legitimate form of scrutiny".

“We are absolutely respectful of local laws. For me, it is not either-or. The fact that we respect local laws is a given, and is non-negotiable,” Facebook India MD Ajit Mohan told The Times of India in an interview.

The company also said that it will continue to take action against unlawful content in line with both local laws and its internal 'community standards'.

The Central government last month announced guidelines to regulate social media, online streaming platforms and digital news portals by asking them to set up grievance redressal mechanisms.

Contending that the government was adopting a “soft-touch regulatory approach”, Information and Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that social media companies, OTT platforms and digital media will have to set up a grievance redressal mechanism for ordinary users and timely resolution.

Read | Will new OTT, social media guidelines stifle all dissent?

"We are constantly trying to raise the bar in terms of making sure that we address the concerns, including those we have heard from governments from around the world and India on the kind of content that is on our platforms. We want to limit and eliminate content linked to violence or content linked to hate speech, or content that calls for violence on the ground," Mohan told the publication.

Mohan said that platforms have to balance free speech and public safety.

“We want to make sure that the canvas of free speech is as expansive as possible. At the same time, there will be places where there are limits to that speech, for example when it comes to hate speech,” he said.

Mohan also said that it is not in Facebook's interest that unlawful or inflammatory content should circulate on its platform and that the company wants to make sure the internet remains a safe platform to do business.