JOIN USWill await action, says Congress to Facebook's 'non-partisan' claims
Congress on Thursday said it would await demonstration of specific corrective measures after Facebook assured it of continuing to remove hateful content by public figures in India on its platform.
Responding to AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal’s letters to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg alleging political bias and interference in India's democratic process, the social networking company said it was a non-partisan platform that denounced hate and bigotry in all forms.
Facebook's Public Policy, Trust and Safety director Neil Potts has said that it has taken the party's allegation of bias very seriously and will ensure that it remains non-partisan and is committed to maintaining the highest levels of integrity.
“The Congress party will await further concrete action from the global leadership of Facebook and demonstration of specific corrective measures being undertaken in Facebook & WhatsApp India,” Praveen Chakravarthy, Chairman of AICC Data Analytics Cell said in a statement.
Following reports in a section of the international media about the conduct of Facebook and WhatsApp India's leadership team, alleging bias and proximity with the ruling BJP, Congress had written to Zuckerberg demanding probe and suspension of its India team.
"We take seriously the concerns and recommendations you raised on behalf of the Indian National Congress... First and foremost, we want to take this opportunity to state that we are non-partisan and strive to ensure that our platforms remain a space where people can express themselves freely,” Potts said in a letter to Venugopal dated September 1.
“We take allegations of bias seriously and want to make clear that we denounce hate and bigotry in all forms,” he said.