Facebook India head Ajit Mohan probed by Parliamentary panel over alleged political ‘bias’

New Delhi: Amid a raging row over Facebook’s alleged political “bias”, a Parliamentary panel on Wednesday questioned the corporate’s India head, Ajit Mohan, for over two hours, with each BJP and Congress members of the panel accusing the social media big of colluding and influencing opinion, a cost denied by the agency.

While BJP members raised questions on alleged political hyperlinks of the Facebook staff, claiming that a lot of its senior executives have labored with the Congress and its leaders in several capacities, the opposition members requested why content material, together with movies containing hate speech had been nonetheless out there on-line and never taken down by the social media big.

Sources stated Ajit Mohan was questioned by ruling in addition to opposition members of the committee, he gave an oral reply to some questions whereas he has been given almost 90 questions, to which he has to reply in writing.

According to sources, questions had been additionally requested about Mohan’s affiliation with the Congress Kerala unit throughout the 2011 meeting elections and the UPA authorities, to which he responded that he was related as knowledgeable and never in any political capability.

BJP MPs additionally alleged that those that observe Left ideology or have labored with the Congress are dominating the third get together companies which do fact-checking for Facebook and cited many names of the highest administration of the social media agency and its fact-checking companions.

According to sources, the Facebook govt denied these allegations, saying the corporate respects freedom of speech and have a system the place guidelines are adopted and motion is taken.

“There were several issues related to Facebook which were discussed and Congress raised the issue of the articles and the alleged collusion between BJP and Facebook. However, the representative from Facebook denied the charges and asserted that they followed global standards in reporting posts. He also denied that there was any collusion with the BJP,” a supply, who was current within the assembly stated on the situation of anonymity.

After the listening to, a Facebook firm spokesperson stated, “We thank the Honorable Parliamentary Committee for their time. We remain committed to being an open and transparent platform, and giving people a voice and allowing them to express themselves freely.”

Senior Congress chief and panel chief Shashi Tharoor tweeted “in response to overwhelming media interest in the meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology….This is all I can say: We met for some three and a half hours and unanimously agreed to resume the discussion later, including with representatives of Facebook.”

Apart from the Facebook representatives, few others additionally appeared earlier than the panel, taking the full proceedings to nearly three and a half hours.

According to sources, as discussions couldn’t be concluded with the Facebook representatives, there was a view to calling the assembly once more on September 10, however consensus couldn’t be achieved with some members objecting to it on the grounds that the committee’s tenure was ending on September 12 and can be reconstituted.

Sources stated, there was additionally a sense that some within the committee need to take away Tharoor as chairperson and one member additionally gave a form of a ‘farewell speech’ for Tharoor, suggesting he could not stay the top of the Parliamentary panel.

The panel had known as representatives of Facebook to listen to their views “on the subject of safeguarding citizens’ rights and prevention of misuse of social/online news media platforms including special emphasis on women security in the digital space”.

The panel had additionally known as representatives of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on the identical problem, whereas a number of others together with some digital media activists additionally deposed earlier than the panel. An official stated 18 members of the panel together with the chairman had been current.

Meanwhile, after the Congress and the BJP, the Trinamool Congress additionally wrote to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg elevating the difficulty of alleged bias of the social media big in the direction of the BJP and claimed that there’s sufficient proof within the public area to substantiate this cost.

In his letter, get together MP Derek O’Brien additionally makes a reference to an earlier assembly with Zuckerberg the place a few of these considerations had been raised.

In a associated growth, CPI(M) MP P R Natarajan has written to Tharoor, demanding a legal investigation into Facebook’s alleged hyperlinks with the BJP.

The political slugfest was triggered by Tharoor’s announcement that the panel wish to hear from Facebook a few latest report printed within the Wall Street Journal claiming that the social media platform ignored making use of its hate-speech guidelines to some BJP politicians had evoked a powerful response from the ruling get together members within the panel.

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey had alleged that the Congress chief has been utilizing the panel’s platform to additional his and his get together’s political agenda and even demanded his elimination as chairman.

A recent spherical of political slugfest began on the difficulty on Monday with Congress chief Rahul Gandhi claiming that the worldwide media has “exposed” Facebook and WhatsApp’s “brazen assault” on India’s democracy and social concord.

“No one, let alone a foreign company, can be allowed to interfere in our nation’s affairs. They must be investigated immediately and when found guilty, punished,” Gandhi tweeted.

IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad additionally wrote to Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday, accusing the social media platform’s staff of supporting folks from a political predisposition that misplaced successive elections, and “abusing” Prime Minister and senior cupboard ministers.

In a three-page letter to Facebook Chief Executive Zuckerberg, Prasad alleged “bias and inaction” by people within the Facebook India workforce on complaints by folks supportive of right-of-center ideology.