Facebook bans BJP MLA for hate speech
New Delhi, Sept. 3: Under pressure from Opposition parties for alleged political bias and handling of hate speech content, social media giant Facebook on Thursday said it has banned BJP’s Telangana legislator T. Raja Singh from its platform and Instagram for violating its policy on content promoting violence and hate.
However, the MLA 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 it 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 (WSJ) report alleged that the social media platform's content policies favoured the ruling party in India. The report had accused Facebook of ignoring posts containing hate speech by BJP MLA Raja Singh. Since then, the ruling BJP and Congress have been trading barbs over the social media giant’s alleged political bias.
Mr Singh, the lone saffron party legislator from Telangana, claimed he did not have a Facebook account since April 2019 and that the pages the social networking site now banned might have been created by his followers. He said he had written a letter to Hyderabad Police Cyber Crime department on October 8, 2018 that his verified official
Facebook page was hacked. In a brief statement, Singh said he again started a new page which “was unpublished/ deleted in April
2019. So, Since April
2019, I'm not on Facebook itself, so no question of banning (me). Is Facebook working under the pressure of Congress”. He also said that he will write to Facebook to open his official account. “I will follow all rules and regulations to use it. I should be given the right to use Facebook account and I will seek their permission,” he said.
Meanwhile, responding to Congress’ allegations, Facebook’s Public Policy, Trust and Safety Director Neil Potts has said it has taken the party’s charge of bias very seriously and will ensure that it remains non-partisan and is committed to maintaining the highest levels of integrity. The Congress accused Facebook of interfering in India’s democratic process and social harmony and being soft on members of the ruling BJP while applying its hate-speech rules.