Facebook bans BJP legislator amid raging controversy over hate speech bias

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BJP’s IT cell head Amit Malviya did not comment on the specific case of banning T Raja from the platform, but said determination of hate speech has to be done in keeping with rules and laws of the land.

File photo of BJP’s lone Telangana MLA T Raja. (Photo @TigerRajaSingh)

 

A new report in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday claimed that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Telangana, T Raja, has been banned from Facebook, following an uproar over his comments that amount to hate speech.

An earlier report from the WSJ had alleged that the social media giant had shown preferential treatment for the ruling party members by not taking action against them for posting content that violates the rules of hate speech. It also alleged that Facebook’s Public Policy executive Ankhi Das had shown support for the BJP.

“We have banned Raja Singh from Facebook for violating our policy prohibiting those that promote or engage in violence and hate from having a presence on our platform. The process for evaluating potential violators is extensive and it is what led us to our decision to remove his account,” said a Facebook spokesperson.

The Goshamahal legislator could not be reached for comment.

BJP’s IT cell head Amit Malviya did not comment on the specific case of banning Raja from the platform, but said determination of hate speech has to be done in keeping with rules and laws of the land.

“What constitutes hate speech in India will be decided by our constitutional framework and extant rules. It must be applied fairly to all irrespective of their political affiliation. Sonia Gandhi, whose divisive speech streamed live on Facebook, which led to wide-scale rioting, death, and destruction in Delhi recently, is equally guilty as is someone else. We can’t have double standards,” Malviya said.

The Congress and the left parties have alleged that social media platforms show a positive bias towards the BJP and have cited the WSJ report to buttress their claim. The Congress wrote to Facebook CEO Mark Zukerberg twice complaining of a bias and asking him to specify the steps being taken to investigate the charges against its India unit.

The opposition party also threatened to pursue legislative and judicial actions to ensure that a foreign company does not create social disharmony in India. The Trinamool Congress also shot off a letter to Facebook alleging there is enough evidence in the public domain to substantiate the charge of Facebook’s bias towards the BJP.

Earlier this week, union minister for Information and Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad, in a strongly worded letter to Zukerberg, alleged that the platform is the “latest tool” being used to create “internal divisions and social disturbances” by vested groups.

The minister said, “I have been informed that in the run-up to 2019 general elections in India, there was a concerted effort by Facebook Indian management to not just delete pages or substantially reduce to reach but also offer no records or right of appeal to affected people who are supportive of the right of the Centre ideology. I’m also aware that dozens of emails written to Facebook management received no response.”

The BJP has lashed out at its critics for making allegations against it and has also insinuated that there are efforts being made by some FB employees to discredit the democratic process of the country.

“Shaping public discourse can’t be the exclusive purview of the Left, who have since lost their monopoly and public support. Social media has democratised discourse and that is something they haven’t come to terms with,” Malviya said.

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Facebook Bans BJP MLA Named In Report That Sparked Hate Speech Row

Facebook's action against BJP MLA from Telangana, T Raja Singh, comes as it faces growing political pressure in India over its handling of extremist content.

New Delhi:

Facebook has banned T Raja Singh, a BJP leader at the core of allegations that the social media giant did not apply hate speech rules on members of the ruling BJP. The politician was banned for violating Facebook's policy on content promoting hate and violence, said a spokesperson.

"We have banned Raja Singh from Facebook for violating our policy prohibiting those that promote or engage in violence and hate from having a presence on our platform," a Facebook spokesperson said in an emailed statement, adding that the process for evaluating potential violators "is extensive and it is what led us to Facebook's decision to remove his account".

Facebook's action against the BJP MLA from Telangana comes as it faces growing political pressure in India over its handling of extremist content.

The politician has been listed under Facebook's "dangerous individuals and organisations policy" and will not be allowed to maintain a presence on the platform going forward, it is leant. The BJP MLA, as part of the process, will not be allowed on Facebook or its photo and video-sharing platform Instagram. The company will also remove Pages, Groups and accounts set up to represent him. However, it will continue to allow wider discussion of him, including praise and support.

On Wednesday, Facebook officials appeared before a parliamentary panel led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and faced questions on alleged political bias from both sides of the divide.

T Raja Singh had claimed in a video on Twitter last month that he does not have any official Facebook page. "I have got to know many FB pages are using my name. Let me clarify I'm not having any official page, I'm not responsible for any of their posts," he had said.

Mr Singh had also disowned communally-loaded posts and claimed that his official Facebook account was "hacked and blocked in 2018".

In the video he tweeted on August 16, Mr Singh said he was being "projected in such a way that I am the most dangerous in the entire world (like) when he (Raja Singh) says something on social media, then something or the other happens." He claimed he had one official YouTube account and one official Twitter account.

The Wall Street Journal, in the first of its reports on Facebook, had quoted unnamed insiders who claimed that Facebook India executive Ankhi Das intervened in an internal communication to stop a permanent ban on Raja Singh after he allegedly posted divisive content, saying it would damage "business prospects" in India. 

Mr Singh denied putting up inflammatory posts, challenging anyone to prove he could be blamed for social strife.

In the parliamentary panel meeting of over two hours yesterday, Facebook officials were asked to list instances where they acted against hate speech. Mr Singh's alleged posts were also cited by members of the opposition.

 

 

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