‘ Hate speech’: Facebook bans BJP MLA
Not on social media site since 2019, T’gana legislator claims
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 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 a statement.
New Delhi, Sept. 3: Under pressure from opposition parties for alleged political bias and handling of hate speech content, Facebook on Thursday said it has banned BJP Telangana MLA T. Raja Singh from its platform and Instagram for violating its policy on content promoting violence and hate, even as the legislator from Telangana claimed that he had no account with the social networking site for over a year.
In a separate communication, Facebook also told the Congress that the company was non- partisan, denounces hate and bigotry in all forms, and strives to ensure that its platforms remain a space where people can express themselves freely. It was responding to the opposition party's allegation that the social media giant was soft on members of the ruling BJP while applying its hate speech rules.
“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 this decision,” a Facebook company spokesperson said in a statement.
Facebook — which counts India among its largest markets with over 300 million users — has been in the eye of a storm after a Wall Street Journal report alleged that the social media platform's content policies favoured the ruling party in India.