FB, ‘Meta-stasis’ of hate speech must stop

Internal documents of Facebook, available now in public, have again revealed that the social media giant has been callous in the handling and screening of hate speech, misinformation and inflammatory posts and so could have created and promoted divisiveness and disorder in society. This is not a new finding as there are many known instances of the negative impact of Facebook posts on individuals, sections of people and society. This has been the case everywhere that Facebook, which has renamed itself Meta, operates. Its platforms have been used to incite violence on the basis of racial hatred or religious differences in places like Myanmar and Sri Lanka. Its business has been closely linked to and has thrived on these negative and unhealthy trends. More information about the working of the social media platform has come out recently at a Congressional hearing in the US.

Information that is specific to India shows how fake news and falsehoods are posted and disseminated through Facebook and how the posts create tensions and conflicts. Even when the dangerous nature of such content is known to Facebook, it has been negligent in taking preventive or corrective action. Its policy has been discriminatory, and screening and editorial power have been used selectively in deciding which posts are to be removed. The ruling party and its leaders have benefitted from Facebook’s indulgence. The leaked documents suggest that this is the reason why content posted by “users, groups and pages from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh” get away unchecked. When elements that promote divisions and conflict get more space and traction, that leads to dangerous consequences. One example of the impact of fake news is the mass exodus of migrant workers of North-East origin from many states some years ago. Falsehoods and inflammatory material have led to the lynching of people in some places. In many cases, Facebook did not try to turn off hate speech against Muslims and Dalits. Parties and organisations have used it to subvert elections by spreading fake news and by other means.

Problems of the same kind have been seen in the way posts are managed in Facebook’s subsidiaries WhatsApp and Instagram. India has the highest user base of 350 million for Facebook. Given this, the possibility of its misuse is also highest in India, especially given the current political atmosphere in the country, and that demands better screening and greater vigilance. But 87% of Facebook’s moderation budget, the fund earmarked for tackling misinformation, is used in the US where only 10% of its users live. The fresh revelations again underline the need for better supervision and control over the material that gets posted. This is the change the company must effect — to prevent the ‘Meta-stasis’ of hate speech.