Facebook India chief skips Delhi hate speech hearing

Facebook India’s chief failed to appear yesterday before a panel probing allegations that the social media giant failed to take action against hate speech, the committee’s head said.

India is the US-based company and its messaging service WhatsApp’s biggest market in terms of users, and the firm is under pressure worldwide over the policing of hate speech.

Last week, a Delhi Assembly panel on peace and harmony had summoned Ajit Mohan, managing director of Facebook India, to determine if the social networking site deliberately ignored instances of hate speech on its social media platform.

The panel – headed by Aam Aadmi Party lawmaker Raghav Chadha – also said the firm should be probed over its “alleged role and complicity” in the sectarian Delhi riots in February

which killed over 50 people, most of them Muslims.

But yesterday Mohan failed to appear, Chadha said.

“The failure of Facebook to appear before the committee shows that it is trying to hide its role in the Delhi riots,” Chadha told reporters.

“Fresh summons will be issued to it in line with principles of natural justice.”

“In the event of subsequent default, the committee shall be constrained to invoke its power to initiate breach of privilege proceedings against Facebook India unit,” he said.

A lawyer for Facebook said the summons was “untenable” as the matter was being heard separately by a parliamentary committee, a Delhi government source said.

Facebook India was not immediately available for comment yesterday.

But in a letter to Chadha the company said it shares the panel’s concerns and has taken measures to curb the spread of hate speech on its platforms.

“Given that the issues raised by the Notice (of the panel) involve subject matter within the exclusive domain of the Union of India, and that the matters are under active consideration by Parliament, we respectfully object to the Notice and request that you recall it,” the letter added.

Earlier this month, the 18-member parliamentary committee had “grilled” Facebook representatives over the platform’s alleged political bias.

The firm has been embroiled in a huge row in India after the Wall Street Journal reported in August that the company failed to take down anti-Muslim comments by a politician from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in order to protect its business interests.

Facebook has denied any political bias but admitted it has to do better to curb hate speeches.

B N Srikrishna, a former Supreme Court judge, said the Delhi assembly had the power to imprison anyone it found guilty of breaching privilege.